THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 

GIFT  OF 
E.D.      dine 


THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 


COMPILED  AND  EDITED  BY 

EDYTHE  J.  BROWN 


SOUTH  BEND,  INDIANA 

1920 


Dedicated 


to  the 

Children  of  the  Fourth  Grade 
The  Inheritors  of  the  Past 

and 

The  Citizens  of  the  Future 


8178.TR 


•S'otith  $Und  Vocational  School 


CONTENTS 

— © — 

CHAPTER  ONE 

Life  Before  the  Coming  of  the  White  Man,  The  Mound  Builders,  In- 
dian Stories,  Miamis,  Pottawattomies,  Iroquois. 

CHAPTER  Two 
Missionaries  and  Explorers,  Father  Marquette,  Cavelier  de  LaSalle. 

CHAPTER  THREE 

Coming  of  the  White  Men,  Fur  Traders  and  Settlers:     Pierre  Na- 
varre, Alexis  Coquillard,  Lathrop  M.  Taylor,  O-Sah  la  mo-nee, 
Henry  M.  Stull,  Horatio  Chapin,  Judge  Thomas  Stan- 
field,  Almond  Bugbee,  Daniel  Greene. 

CHAPTER  FOUR 

Location  of  South  Bend  and  Relation  to  Surrounding  Country:  To- 
pography, Soil  and  Products. 

CHAPTER  FIVE 

Transportation:     River,    Ferries,    Canals,    Indian    Trails,    Michigan 

Road,  Lincoln  Highway,  Bridges,  The  First  Railroad, 

Street  Railway  and  Interurbans. 

CHAPTER  Six 
Telegraph,  Telephone. 

CHAPTER  SEVEN 
The  Goldseekers  and  the  Rush  to  California. 

CHAPTER  EIGHT 

Pioneer  Stories:     Story  of  Johnny  Appleseed,  Story  of  Black  Hawk 
Raid,  Spelling  School  at  Bertram!. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  NINE 

Growth  of  the  Press:     The  First  Newspapers,  St.  Joseph  Valley  Reg- 
ister, Life  of  Schuyler  Colfax,  South  Bend  Tribune, 
South  Bend  News-Times. 

CHAPTER  TEN 
South  Bend  in  Time  of  War:     Civil,  Spanish-American,  World. 

CHAPTER  ELEVEN 

South  Bend's  Water  Supply:     In  the  Early  Days,  Growth  of  the  Vol- 
unteer Fire   Department,    Story   of  the   Raising  of  the 
Standpipe,  Story  of  the  Bob-tailed  Cow,  South 
Bend  Fire  Department— 1920. 

CHAPTER  TWELVE 
History  of  the  Forms  of  Government  in  South  Bend. 

CHAPTER  THIRTEEN 

Some  of  the  Industries  of  South  Bend  and  Men  Who  Made  Them: 

Studebaker  Corporation,  Oliver  Chilled  Plow  Works,  Birdsell 

Manufacturing  Company,  The  Singer  Sewing  Machine 

Company,  O'Brien  Varnish  Works,  South  Bend 

Toy  Factory,  South  Bend  Watch  Company. 

CHAPTER  FOURTEEN 

Educational    Institutions :     Growth    of    the    Public     Schools,    The 

County  Seminary,  First  Public  School,  Vocational  School,  Notre 

Dame  University,  St.  Mary's  Academy,  Public  Library. 

CHAPTER  FIFTEEN 

City    Parks:     Howard,    Leeper,    Studebaker,    Pottowatomie,    Rum 

Village,   LaSalle,   Kaley,   Coquillard,    Shetterley,   Riverside, 

Ravinia,  Kreighbaum,  Springbrook  Park. 

Climax. 


. 


PREFACE 


This  little  book  has  been  compiled  to  meet  the 
needs  of  the  teachers  of  local  history  in  our  pub- 
lic schools. 

We  wish  to  acknowledge  indebtedness  for  the 
material  used  from  various  books  and  records  of 
the  Public  Library,  also  for  helpful  suggestions 
from  many  citizens. 

It  is  the  editor's  aim  to  acquaint  our  readers 
with  the  past  history  of  our  city  and  thereby  help 
them  to  appreciate  the  struggles  of  our  forefath- 
ers in  laying  the  foundation  of  the  city  of  South 
Bend.  We  wish  them  to  know  the  men  and  the 
industries  that  have  made  our  city  "World 
Famed". 

E.  J.  B. 
South  Bend,  Ind.,  1920. 


What  Makes  a  City  Great? 


"What  makes  a  city  great?    Huge  piles  of  stone 
Heaped  heavenward?     Vast  multitudes  who  dwell 
Within  wide  circling  walls?    Palace  and  throne 
And  riches  past  the  count  of  man  to  tell 
And  wide  domain?     Nay  these  the  empty  husk! 
True  honor  dwells  where  noble  deeds  are  done 
And  great  men  rise  whose  names  athwart  the  dusk 
Of  misty  centuries  gleam  like  the  sun. 
In  Athens,  Sparta,  Florence,  'twas  the  soul 
That  was  the  city's  bright  immortal  part, 
The  splendor  of  the  spirit  was  their  goal, 
Their  jewel  the  unconquerable  heart! 
So  may  the  city  that  we  love  be  great! 
Till  every  stone  shall  be  articulate." 


FIRSTS  IN  SOUTH  BEND 

1820— First  White  Man— Navarre. 

1820— First  Trading  Post. 

1824 — First  White  Woman — Frances  Comparet  Coquillard. 

1829— First  Post  Office— Southold— Allen  County. 

1830— First  Postmaster— L.  M.  Taylor. 

1831 — First  Jail — Walls  and  floor  of  white  oak, hewn  one  foot  square. 

1831 — First  Practicing  lawyer — Elisha  Egbert. 

1831— First  Keel  boat  for  freighting  on  the  St.  Joseph. 

1831 — First  Drygoods  merchant — Horatio  Chapin. 

1831 — First  Log  grade  school — (not  public). 

1831 — First  Hotel — American — built  by  Peter  Johnson. 

1831 — First  Newspaper — The  Western  Pioneer  and  St.  Joseph  In- 
telligencer. 

1831— First  County  Court  House. 

1834 — First  Church  organized — Presbyterian. 

1835— First  Church  built,  Methodist— N.  B.  Griffith— Minister. 

1835 — First  Incorporation  of  South  Bend. 

1836— First  White  Child  Born— J.  W.  Camper— and  still  living. 

1841 — First  Deputy  County  Auditor — Schuyler  Colfax. 

1843 — First  Congressman — Hon.  Samuel  C.  Sample. 

1844— First  Dam. 

1847 — First  Bridge — Washington  Street. 

1848 — First  Telegraph — Mrs.  J.  B.  Reynolds  received  the  first 
message. 

1851 — First  Railroad — New  York  Central. 

1855 — First  Fire  Department — Volunteer. 

1861 — First  To  give  his  life  in  Civil  War — John  Auten. 

1861 — First  Public  School — old  Jefferson — Now  Administration 
Building. 

1865 — First  Mayor — William  G.  George. 

1866— First  School  Board. 

1867 — First  Historical  Society  organized. 

1873 — First  Daily  Newspaper — Tribune. 

1880— First  Telephone  Exchange. 

1880— First  Artesian  Well— sunk. 

1882— First  Trolley  Street  Car  System  in  United  States. 

1889— First  Citv  Park— Howard. 


CHAPTER  I 
LIFE  BEFORE  THE  ADVENT  OF  THE  WHITE  MAN 

THE  MOUND  BUILDERS. 

The  Mound  Builders  were  a  mysterious  race  of  people  who  in- 
habited this  part  of  the  state  centuries  and  centuries  ago. 

This  mysterious  race  had  built  their  homes  on  high  points  of 
land.  Often  times,  they  shaped  the  earthen  mound  to  resemble  huge 
serpents,  elephants,  or  other  animals. 

The  mounds  had  various  uses.  Sometimes  they  were  built  for 
military  defense;  sometimes  they  were  sacred  enclosures;  and  some- 
times burial  places. 

The  masonry  was  regular  and  strong  and  laid  without  mortar. 
Some  constructed  their  homes  of  wood,  but  these  have  long  since 
disappeared.  Ancient  trees  have  grown  on  the  site  of  these  homes. 
This  helps  to  give  us  some  idea  as  to  the  time  that  has  passed  since 
this  race  of  people  lived  here. 

There  were  a  number  of  reasons  why  they  built  their  homes  on 
high  ground.  Can  you  think  of  any?  First  there  was  better  protec- 
tion from  the  wild,  roving  bands  of  enemy  Indians.  Second,  in  the 
spring  when  the  floods  came  in  the  lowlands,  they  were  high  and 
dry.  Third,  when  the  lowlands  became  flooded,  the  animals  took 
refuge  on  the  higher  land,  thereby  giving  the  inhabitants  an  abun- 
dance of  food. 

They  were  a  peaceful  race  of  people  and  skilled  in  the  use  of 
metals.  They  understood  the  tempering  of  metals,  and  used  the 
finest  of  copper  axes. 

Many  relics,  utensils  and  fragments  of  pottery  are  preserved 
in  the  Northern  Indiana  Historical  Society.  All  of  these  show  them 
to  have  been  a  tribe  far  advanced  in  civilization. 

For  some  unknown  reason  the  tribes  disappeared.  Many  believe 
them  to  have  been  driven  out  by  the  hostile  Indians.  Their  mounds 
are  found  near  Chain  Lakes  in  Warren  Township.  Their  mounds 
are  numerous  throughout  the  Mississippi  Valley. 


12        THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 


COMING  OF  THE  INDIANS. 

Many,  many  years  ago,  the  Indians,  called  the  Miamis,  paddled 
up  the  river  now  known  as  the  St.  Joseph,  but  called  by  the  Indians, 
the  River  of  the  Miamis. 

Upon  their  arrival  at  a  landing  place,  just  north  of  the  city  of 
South  Bend,  they  decided  to  land.  Many  other  Indians  had  landed 
here  and  passed  on  to  other  hunting  grounds,  so  the  path  or  trail 
was  quite  distinctly  marked. 

The  squaws  strapped  the  wigwams  and  cooking  utensils  to  their 
backs,  and  many  of  them  carried  their  papooses.  They  then  marched 
in  solemn  Indian  fashion,  following  the  trail,  through  patches  of 
hazel  brush,  dogwood,  red-bud,  and  forests  of  mighty  oak.  We  now 
know  this  historic  trail  as  the  Portage  to  the  Kankakee.  (Portage 
Avenue  from  Pinhook  or  Riverview  Cemetery.)  Soon  they  reached 
a  height  of  land  now  known  as  Mount  Pleasant,  west  of  the  city. 
Here  they  set  about  to  build  a  village. 

The  squaws  set  up  the  wigwams  and  started  to  prepare  the  meal. 
This  consisted  of  Indian  corn,  and  fish,  dogflesh,  or  the  meat  of  the 
buffalo. 

But  first  they  must  make  a  fire.  Do  you  know  how  the  Indian 
first  made  fire?  I  will  tell  you.  Three  men  took  seats  on  the 
ground  facing  each  other,  with  a  hard  block  of  wood  in  front  of 
them.  One  of  the  Indians  had  a  long  stick  which  he  drilled  into 
the  hard  block.  He  rolled  it  between  his  hands  as  fast  as  he  could 
and  when  he  got  tired,  the  next  one  would  begin  without  allowing 
the  motion  to  slow  up,  when  he  tired,  then  the  third  one  would 
take  it  up,  and  so  on  until  a  spark  of  new  fire  was  seen.  They 
quickly  caught  the  spark  in  a  piece  of  punk  or  other  good  kindling 
material. 

Later  the  Indians  learned  from  the  missionaries  that  by  rubbing 
flint  and  steel  together,  sparks  would  come  much  easier. 

But  where  were  the  rest  of  the  Indian  men?  You  know  the 
squaw  does  all  the  hard  work  in  the  Indian  family,  but  the  man 
hunts  and  fishes,  and  protects  his  family  against  enemies.  Indians 
considered  this  a  fair  division  of  the  work. 

Many  of  the  men  started  for  the  forests  or  prairies  to  hunt  the 
buffalo,  elk,  bear,  or  wolf.  Others  have  gone  to  the  river  to  fish  for 
the  sturgeon  and  pike. 

Just  north  of  the  place  where  South  Bend  now  stands  was  the 
famous  fishing  grounds.  Here  at  a  place  where  the  waters  were 


THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND        13 


shallow,  Indians  of  long  ago  had  placed  great  white  flag  stones  from 
shore  to  shore.  The  Indians  in  canoes  were  accustomed  to  go  up 
stream  some  miles,  then  come  back  lashing  the  water,  so  as  to  drive 
the  fish  before  them.  Meanwhile  other  Indians,  waiting  to  spear  the 
fish,  stationed  themselves  across  this  limestone  floor,  and  watched 
for  the  form  of  the  rolling  sturgeon,  the  swift  pickerel,  or  the  quick 
darting  pike  to  be  outlined  against  the  white  stones.  With  their 
harpoon-like  spears,  they  killed  great  boat  loads  of  fish. 

THE    POTTAWATTOMIES. 

The  Pottawattomies  of  the  Miami  Confederacy  were  a  peaceful 
tribe,  and  many  of  them  built  permanent  homes  or  huts  called  wig- 
wams, made  of  poles  stuck  in  the  ground,  tied  together  with  pliant 
strips  of  bark  and  covered  with  skins  of  animals  or  large  pieces  of 
bark. 

They  were  a  hard-working  tribe.  They  tilled  the  soil  and  raised 
a  great  deal  of  Indian  corn  or  maize. 

The  women  were  always  well-clothed,  but  the  men  used  scarcely 
any  covering  and  were  tattooed  all  over  the  body. 

The  Miamis  inhabited  all  the  land  west-ward  from  what  is  now 
Detroit  to  Lake  Michigan. 

In  summer,  they  hunted  and  fished.  In  winter  they  passed  the 
time  in  games  and  play,  of  course  hunting  and  fishing  enough  to  get 
fresh  meat,  when  they  tired  of  the  dried  venison  or  buffalo  meat. 

The  men  made  their  weapons  for  war  and  the  hunt.  These  were 
the  bow  and  arrows,  spear,  tomahawk,  or  hatchet,  and  war-club. 
The  arrows  and  spears  were  pointed  with  barbed  stone;  the  toma- 
hawk was  of  stone,  fastened  to  its  handle  by  withes;  the  war-club 
was  of  stone,  too,  sometimes  having  a  handle  made  of  rawhide 
twisted  and  hardened. 

THE  IROQUOIS  INDIANS. 

The  Iroquois  Indians  were  warlike  and  barbarous.  They  would 
not  work  in  the  fields  to  raise  grain.  They  were  great  hunters  and 
would  trade  their  game  to  the  Miamis  for  corn.  If  the  Miamis  re- 
fused to  trade,  they  would  take  the  corn  anyway. 

One  time,  after  having  been  refused  grain  by  the  Miamis,  the 
Iroquois  decided  to  attack.  They  gathered  their  men,  put  on  their 
war-paint,  and  started  secretly  at  night. 

They  approru-hed  the  village  stealthily,  hiding  behind  trees  and 
bushes.  With  a  loud  war-whoop  they  rushed  upon  the  peaceful 


14        THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 


Miamis.  Instantly  the  air  was  filled  with  Hying  arrows.  The  war- 
riors surged  back  and  forth  with  wild  whoops,  and  Indians  lay  dead 
all  around.  Both  sides  had  taken  many  scalps,  but  still  they  fought 
on.  Just  when  the  fighting  was  at  its  fiercest,  the  Miami  chief, 
"Frost  on  the  Leaves,"  was  seen  approaching  the  Iroquois.  He  held 
in  his  hand  the  calumet  or  peace  pipe.  His  chiefs,  Rushing  Water, 
Snow  on  the  Mountain,  Gray  Eagle,  Black  Crow,  Rain  in  the  Face, 
and  many  more  accompanied  the  Miami  chief. 

The  Iroquois  chief,  "Snapping  Turtle,"  with  his  many  warriors 
came  forward  to  meet  Frost  on  the  Leaves.  He  had  with  him  his 
chiefs,  Catbird,  Black  Wolf,  and  Little  New  Moon. 

Do  you  know  why  Indians  have  such  queer  names?  I  will  tell 
you.  The  Indians  believed  that  the  name  for  the  new  papoose  must 
be  whatever  sight  first  met  the  eyes  of  the  Chief.  Aren't  you  glad 
your  name  is  not  chosen  that  way? 

Frost  on  the  Leaves  placed  the  calumet  on  a  mat  on  the  ground. 
Meanwhile  some  Indians  were  busy  making  a  fire,  in  front  of  the 
two  chiefs.  The  calumet  was  lighted,  and  solemnly  passed  among 
the  chiefs. 

Then  the  Miami  chief  arose  and  made  an  eloquent  speech  in 
behalf  of  his  tribe.  At  the  end,  he  threw  two  belts  upon  the  ground, 
one  of  red,  and  one  of  white. 

All  were  silent,  awaiting  the  chief's  decision.  Finally  he  picked 
up  the  white  one.  At  this  there  was  great  rejoicing.  Each  tribe 
built  its  fire,  and  circled  around  it,  singing  and  shouting  their  war 
whoops,  with  wild  beating  on  their  drums.  This  they  kept  up  until 
all  were  exhausted. 

And  now,  peace  having  been  declared,  the  two  chiefs  exchanged 
gifts  of  grain,  dried  meat,  beads  and  salt. 

They  then  retired  to  their  own  country  and  peace  reigned  for  a 
while. 

Pottawattomie  Park  is  named  for  this  early  tribe. 

Miami  Street  is  named  in  honor  of  the  Miamis  who  once  lived 
here. 


CHAPTER  II 

FATHER  JAMES  MARQUETTE. 
1675. 

The  French  Missionaries  were  the  first  white  men  to  visit 
Indiana. 

These  missionaries  were   pious   men,  who   in   early  times   left 

their  homes  in  civilized  countries,  came  among  the  savages,   and 

worked  diligently  to  convert  them  to  the  Christian  religion.     This 
they  found  to  be  a  very  diflicult  task. 

The  Indians  were  satisfied  with  their  religion  and  did  not  care 
to  make  any  change. 

Father  Marquette  came  to  the  new  country  at  a  time  when  the 
Indians  of  the  Lake  region  were  in  great  need  of  friends. 

The  Iroquois  had  been  successful  in  over-coming  the  Hurons  and 
destroying  both  the  Missions  and  their  missionaries. 

In  the  face  of  all  this  danger,  Father  Marquette,  accompanied 
by  other  French  explorers,  came  into  these  dangerous  sections  ex- 
pecting to  meet  martyrs'  deaths. 

Many  of  the  Indians  were  friendly  to  their  party,  others  were 
hostile. 

Marquette  and  Joliet  explored  this  lake  region,  reached  the 
Mississippi,  sailed  down  the  river  for  some  distance,  and  satisfied 
themselves  that  they  now  knew  the  course  of  the  great  river.  They 
then  turned  back,  leaving  the  Mississippi  at  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois 
river. 

Marquctle  went  over  into  the  Wisconsin  country  and  remained 
there  at  a  mission  to  regain  his  health.  The  following  November, 
he  remembered  his  promise  to  the  Illinois  Indians  that  he  would 
visit  them  again  and  he  kept  his  promise  altho  still  very  weak. 

It  was  through  this  peaceful  valley  of  the  St.  Joseph  in  the  month 
of  May,  1(575,  that  Father  James  Marquette,  the  Jesuit  missionary  ex- 
plorer passed,  on  his  way  back  to  St.  Ignace. 

The  tradition  is  that  his  faithful  Indians  carried  his  frail  bark 
canoe,  guided  his  feeble  footsteps  across  the  portage  connecting  the 


16 


Kankakee  with  the  St.  Joseph  river,  and  thence  conducted  him  down 
to  the  shores  of  Lake  Michigan. 

At  the  age  of  thirty-eight,  worn  out  by  his  labors  and  exposure, 
he  died  and  was  buried  in  Michigan  on  the  bank  of  the  river  that 
bears  his  name. 

Two  years  later,  his  affectionate  Indians  came  down  the  lake 
in  a  fleet  of  canoes  and  reverently  bore  his  body  to  the  beloved 
mission  of  St.  Ignace,  where  he  wras  finally  laid  to  rest. 

Father  Marquette  is  believed  to  have  been  the  first  white  man  to 
pass  through  this  valley  of  the  St.  Joseph. 

Marquette  Avenue  is  named  in  memory  of  him. 

The  State  of  Wisconsin  has  caused  a  statute  of  Marquette  to  be 
placed  in  the  capital  of  Washington,  thereby  proclaiming  him  to  be 
one  of  the  great  men  of  the  West. 


CAVELIER  DE  LA  SALLE. 
1679. 

While  the  missionaries  were  trying  to  teach  the  Indians  and 
the  traders  were  exchanging  beads  and  trinkets  for  furs,  a  fearless 
and  enterprising  Frenchman,  Cavelier  de  La  Salle  determined  to 
explore  the  country,  and  trade  with  the  Indians,  on  a  large  scale. 

People  were  still  searching  for  a  shorter  water  route  to  China 
and  Japan  and  La  Salle  was  sure  that  he  could  reach  it  by  sailing 
down  Lake  Michigan,  up  the  river  of  the  Miamis  (St.  Joseph)  then 
by  portage  to  the  Illinois,  and  at  last  down  the  Mississippi,  which  he 
had  concluded  emptied  into  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Was  he  right? 

La  Salle  was  well-fitted  for  this  undertaking.  He  knew  that 
there  were  fierce  Indians  and  wild  beasts  in  this  part  of  America. 
He  knew  of  the  various  hardships  which  he  would  have  to  undergo. 
Best  of  all,  he  could  speak  several  Indian  languages.  You  know  the 
Indians  do  not  all  speak  the  same  language. 

So  one  July  day  in  the  year  1GCO  La  Salle  started  on  this  peril- 
ous journey  to  find  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi.  He  went  by  Lake 
Erie,  then  across  country  and  reached  the  Ohio  river,  but  after 
travelling  some  distance  upon  it,  his  men,  tired  of  the  hardships  they 
had  undergone,  deserted  their  leader,  and  he  had  to  make  his  way 
back  alone  through  the  forests,  living  on  such  food  as  he  could  find. 

He  was  not  discouraged  however,  and  continued  for  many  years 


THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND        17 


to  explore  the  country,  trade  with  the  Indians,  build  forts  and  trad- 
ing posts  and  in  1679  he  made  another  attempt.  This  time  he  trav- 
elled over  the  land  on  which  South  Bend  now  stands. 

The  landing  of  La  Salle  is  of  great  historical  interest  to  South 
Bend.  It  is  located  at  a  point  called  Pinhook,  north  of  the  city  and 
within  the  boundaries  of  Riverview  Cemetery.  This  is  a  most  pic- 
turesque spot,  and  the  name  aptly  describes  the  bend  in  the  river. 
From  this  landing  place  it  is  believed  that  La  Salle  and  his  men 
travelled  over  the  very  country  where  our  city  now  stands. 

The  following  interesting  story  is  told  of  his  first  visit  here. 

Coming  up  the  western  shore  of  Lake  Michigan  he  followed  the 
south  shore  until  he  came  to  the  mouth  of  the  Miami  river  (St. 
Joseph).  At  this  point,  he  built  a  fort  and  a  tiny  chapel.  On  De- 
cember 3,  1679,  with  thirty  men  in  eight  canoes,  they  paddled  up 
the  chilly  current  of  the  St.  Joseph. 

The  Indian  guide,  "White  Beaver,"  landed  along  the  way  to  get 
game,  meaning  to  rejoin  them  later.  Not  having  their  guide  and  be- 
cause of  the  deep  snow  that  covered  the  ground,  the  explorers  passed 
by  the  portage  without  knowing  it  and  paddled  on  farther  up  stream. 
About  the  time  they  reached  the  bend  in  the  river  where  our  Miami 
Street  is,  La  Salle  realized  that  he  had  gone  too  far. 

He  noticed  the  hills  in  the  distance,  and  decided  to  land  and 
climb  to  the  top  to  get  his  bearings.  This  he  did,  but  in  coming 
back,  he  had  to  go  around  a  swamp  and  made  a  mistake,  going  east 
instead  of  west.  He  at  last  reached  the  river,  several  miles  east  of 
the  present  site  of  Mishawaka. 

The  friar  Hennepin  and  his  lieutenant,  Tonti,  became  alarmed 
at  the  prolonged  absence  of  their  leader  and  sent  out  a  searching 
party,  who  went  up  and  down  the  river,  calling,  but  receiving  no 
answer. 

Snow  was  falling  and  it  was  difficult  walking  for  La  Salle.  All 
at  once  he  saw  a  fire,  and  felt  sure  that  he  had  found  his  friends. 
But  to  his  great  surprise,  a  lone  Indian  jumped  from  his  bed  of  old 
leaves  and  started  to  run.  La  Salle  called  to  him  in  French,  then  in 
the  different  Indian  languages  that  he  knew.  But  the  Indian  did 
not  answer.  La  Salle  then  took  possession  of  his  warm  bed,  lay  down 
by  the  fire,  and  slept  undisturbed. 

The  next  day,  he  started  down  stream  through  the  forest  in 
search  of  his  friends.  He  arrived  at  their  camp  in  the  afternoon, 
carrying  at  his  belt  two  oppossums,  which  he  had  killed. 


18        THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 


You  may  be  sure  there  was  great  rejoicing  by  the  party  at  the 
return  of  their  leader. 

They  had  set  up  their  wigwams,  covered  in  the  Indian  fashion 
with  mats  of  reed.  On  account  of  the  cold,  they  kindled  a  fire  just 
outside,  and  La  Salle  and  Hennepin,  being  very  tired,  rolled  them- 
selves in  their  blankets  and  went  to  sleep.  In  the  early  morning 
the  wigwams  caught  fire,  and  the  two  men  narrowly  escaped  being 
burned. 

That  morning  the  canoes  were  drawn  up  on  shore  and  dividing 
the  load  among  the  men,  they  started  on  their  search  for  the 
Kankakee. 

After  travelling  for  a  short  distance,  several  of  the  men  wanted 
to  turn  back,  but  La  Salle  pushed  on,  feeling  sure  that  he  would 
reach  the  Kankakee. 

This  he  finally  did,  whereupon  they  launched  their  canoes,  and 
started  on  their  journey  toward  the  Mississippi. 

La  Salle  continued  to  make  many  trips  through  this  part  of  the 
country,  trading  with  the  Indians  and  winning  their  friendship. 


LA  SALLE'S  TREATY. 

The  Iroquois  were  always  making  war  on  the  weaker  nations 
and  La  Salle  thought  that  it  would  be  a  good  idea  to  have  the  other 
Indian  nations  band  together  with  the  French  and  fight  the  Iroquois. 

A  great  many  tribes  were  afraid  to  do  this  at  first  but  La  Salle 
did  not  give  up  the  idea. 

The  Miami  village  was  located  just  west  of  South  Bend,  (though 
there  was  no  city  South  Bend  at  that  time)  at  a  point  near  what 
is  now  called  Mt.  Pleasant  on  the  Lincoln  Highway  West  and  he 
determined  to  get  them  to  join,  as  the  Miamis  were  much  more  pow- 
erful than  some  of  the  others. 

He  met  with  them  in  the  month  of  May,  1681,  under  the  great 
trees,  the  lakes  and  the  pools  of  the  headwaters  of  the  Kankakee 
glistened  in  the  sunlight. 

First  he  passed  the  tobacco,  which  is  regarded  as  a  gift  of  the 
Great  Spirit.  The  smoking  of  it  was  a  solemn  religious  observance. 
Next  he  passed  out  great  bundles  of  rich  French  cloth,  saying, 
"These  are  to  cover  the  graves  of  your  dead."  He  then  gave  them 


THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND        19 


some  well-made  garments,  saying,  "These  are  for  the  comfort  of 
your  dead."  This  the  Indians  believed  to  be  a  great  compliment  to 
their  dead. 

Their  hearts  were  softened  toward  La  Salle  and  they  told  him 
that  he  should  have  his  answer  the  next  day. 

The  Indians  held  their  council  and  decided  to  join  the  French 
and  other  Indian  tribes  and  fight  the  common  enemy,  the  Iroquois. 

La  Salle's  treaty  with  the  Indians  is  the  subject  of  a  beautiful 
painting  in  the  rotunda  of  the  County  Court  House.  It  is  well  worth 
the  trip  to  the  Court  House  to  see  it. 

La  Salle's  Landing  at  the  portage  is  also  to  be  found  opposite 
the  above  picture  in  the  Court  House  rotunda. 

Many  relics  and  reminders  of  these  early  days  are  to  be  found 
in  the  rooms  of  the  St.  Joseph  Historical  Association  in  the  old 
Court  House  on  Lafayette  Blvd. 

La  Salle  continued  his  explorations  in  the  name  of  the  French 
king,  Louis  XIV,  for  twenty-one  years,  but  was  finally  murdered  by 
one  of  his  own  men. 

South  Bend  owes  him  an  enduring  memory.  He,  it  was,  who 
made  our  portage  famous.  He,  it  was,  who  crossed  the  portage  in 
pursuit  of  a  great  purpose. 

La  Salle's  name  has  been  perpetuated  in  our  streets,  parks,  lakes 
and  public  buildings. 


CHAPTER  III 


COMING  OF  THE  WHITE  MEN,  FUR  TRADERS  AND  SETTLERS 

PIERRE  FREISCHUTZ  NAVARRE. 
1820. 

No  fairer  spot  for  a  city  could  well  be  chosen  than  the  gently 
undulating  banks  of  the  St.  Joseph  river  upon  which  South  Bend  is 
built. 

Here,  before  any  white  man  ever  gazed  upon  the  river's  cool, 
green  surface,  the  Indians  beached  their  frail  canoes,  took  them 
upon  their  backs,  and  set  out  across  the  low  and  narrow  watershed 
to  the  head  waters  of  the  Kankakee. 

Here,  in  1820,  Pierre  Navarre,  fascinated  by  the  charms  of  the 
St.  Joseph  valley,  located  and  built  his  log  cabin  on  the  north  bank 
of  the  river.  He  established  a  post  and  began  trading  with  the 
Indians. 

The  river  was  then  a  famous  fishing  ground,  for  every  year  the 
mighty  sturgeon  came  up  the  river  from  Lake  Michigan. 

Pierre  Navarre  was  an  educated  French  gentleman.  He  had  a 
kind,  genial  disposition,  and  was  absolutely  honest  in  his  dealings. 

He  followed  a  custom  common  among  Frenchmen  of  those  days 
and  married  a  Pottawattomie  squaw.  He  lived  very  happily  with 
his  Indian  wife  and  six  children  in  the  little  log  cabin  on  the  river 
bank. 

This  log  cabin  was  moved  into  Leeper  Park  a  few  years  ago. 
If  you  care  to  see  it,  you  will  find  it  just  east  of  the  pumping  station. 

In  1840  Mr.  Navarre  moved  west  with  the  Pottawattomies,  when 
the  government  sold  their  land  and  forced  them  to  go  farther  west. 

Later  he  came  back  and  lived  here  until  his  death  which  oc- 
curred at  the  home  of  his  daughter,  Dec.  27,  1863.  His  body  rests 
in  Cedar  Grove  Cemetery  near  Notre  Dame. 

His  name  has  been  perpetuated  in  the  naming  of  Navarre  Place 
and  Navarre  Street. 


THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 21 

ALEXIS  COQUILLARD. 
1823. 


The  first  citizen  of  our  town  and  one  of  the  founders  was  Alexis 
Coquillard.  He  was  born  in  Detroit  in  1795  and  came  to  this  trading 
post  in  1823  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight.  The  following  year  he 
bought  out  the  business  that  had  been  established  by  Navarre. 

Coquillard  was  over  six  feet  tall,  and  powerfully  built.  He  was 
very  business-like  and  honest.  The  merchants  trusted  him  for  his 
supplies,  and  the  Indians  had  great  confidence  in  his  word  of  honor 
and  honest  dealing. 

He  came  here  to  carry  on  the  business  of  the  American  Fur 
Company.  His  first  trading  post  was  located  on  Dragoon  Trace, 
now  East  Washington  and  Lincoln  Way  East,  an  old  Indian  trail 
leading  from  Fort  Wayne  to  this  Indian  village. 

Later  he  built  another  fur  store  at  what  is  now  the  corner  of 
Michigan  and  La  Salle  Streets.  Here  he  also  built  a  large  log  house. 

In  the  spring  of  1824,  he  married  the  sister  of  his  partner, 
Frances  Comparet,  a  young  girl  of  nineteen. 

Their  home  became  the  center  of  the  social  and  business  life 
of  the  community. 

Coquillard  and  Taylor  (see  story  of  L.  M.  Taylor)  were  business 
rivals  but  they  worked  together  on  every  enterprise  that  would 
help  build  up  the  town. 

The  ferries,  the  dams,  the  races,  the  mills  are  the  result  of  the 
public  spirit,  and  work  of  these  pioneers.  The  work  of  these  men 
laid  the  foundations  of  South  Bend's  prosperity  and  world-wide 
fame  as  an  industrial  city. 

In  1840,  Coquillard  was  given  the  task  of  removing  the  Potta- 
\vattomie  Indians  to  Kansas.  This  he  did  in  a  very  humane  way. 
lie  used  enough  wagons,  so  that  every  one  was  enabled  to  ride.  In 
other  cases  of  removal  only  the  Indian  women  and  children  were 
allowed  to  ride,  the  men  being  compelled  to  walk  all  the  way,  many 
of  them  dying  before  they  reached  their  destination. 

Coquillard  was  much  loved  by  all  the  Indians.  He  spoke  the 
Pottawattomie  language,  and  at  one  time  they  would  have  made  him 
chief,  if  he  had  consented. 

In  January,   ISHo,  his  flouring  mill  burned.     He  was  looking  it 


22        THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 


over,  planning  the  repairs,  when  he  had  the  misfortune  to  step  on  a 
partly  burned  timber  and  fell.    He  died  on  hour  later. 

Many  things  of  interest  locally  remind  us  of  this  pioneer. 
Coquillard  Park  in  the  north-east  part  of  the  city  was  given  to  the 
city  by  the  Coquillard  heirs.  Coquillard  School  was  named  for  this 
pioneer. 


LATHROP  MINER  TAYLOR. 

1805-1892. 

Lathrop  M.  Taylor  came  here  in  September,  1827,  and  com- 
menced trading  with  the  Indians  representing  Hanna  and  Company. 
His  trading  post  was  located  on  the  river  at  the  end  of  what  is  now 
East  Madison  Street.  He  later  moved  to  the  north-west  corner  of 
Michigan  and  Washington  Sts.  where  he  continued  to  occupy  offices 
until  his  death. 

Mr.  Taylor  had  learned  to  speak  French,  also  the  Miami  tongue, 
and  after  coming  to  this  post  he  learned  to  speak  the  language  of 
the  Pottawattomies. 

Coquillard  and  Taylor  made  a  perfect  pair  for  the  new  settle- 
ment. Coquillard  could  neither  read  nor  write.  Taylor  could  read 
and  was  an  excellent  writer. 

In  1829,  the  post  office  was  established.  Mr.  Taylor  was  the  first 
postmaster.  It  was  called  Southhold,  Allen  County.  No  one  seems 
to  know  why  it  was  called  Southhold.  At  that  time  Allen  County 
extended  all  the  way  across  the  northern  part  of  the  state. 

The  next  year,  1830,  the  name  was  changed  to  South  Bend,  St. 
Joseph  County.  St.  Joseph  County  too,  was  very  large  at  first.  It 
extended  over  what  are  now  the  counties  of  Marshall,  Starke,  La- 
porte,  Porter  and  Lake. 

Upon  the  organization  of  the  county,  the  Legislature  provided 
that  the  offices  of  clerk  and  recorder,  as  well  as  clerk  of  the  county 
board  might  be  held  by  one  man.  This  was  very  fortunate,  as  it  is 
doubtful,  if  anyone  but  Taylor  could  have  filled  the  offices. 

If  you  will  look  over  the  first  records  in  the  County  Court 
House,  you  will  find  them  in  the  beautiful  hand  writing  of  L.  M. 
Taylor.  He  still  held  the  office  of  Postmaster  and  managed  to  keep 
his  fur  business  going.  So  you  see  he  was  a  very  busy  man. 

You  would  be  surprised  if  you  could  see  the  kind  of  post  office 


THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND        23 


they  had  in  those  days.  It  was  just  a  tall  cupboard,  set  up  in  one 
corner  of  the  trading  post.  This  cupboard  is  still  in  the  possession 
of  the  heirs  of  Mr.  Taylor. 

Money  was  almost  unknown  in  those  days.  They  brought  the 
skins  of  animals  and  other  things  and  traded  for  things  they  could 
not  raise.  Money  was  used  mostly  to  pay  taxes  or  to  get  a  letter. 

Taylor  and  Coquillard  were  the  real  founders  of  South  Bend. 
They  bought  land  from  the  government  and  on  March  28,  1831,  they 
platted  the  town.  Our  wide  streets  are  due  to  the  splendid  foresight 
of  Mr.  Taylor.  There  were  only  one  hundred  twenty-eight  people  in 
the  town  at  the  time  it  was  platted. 

The  first  County  seat  was  called  St.  Joseph  and  was  located  out 
near  Riverview  Cemetery,  but  Taylor  and  Coquillard  later  managed 
to  get  the  county  seat  removed  to  South  Bend. 

They  donated  the  land  for  the  County  Court  House,  the  Jeffer- 
son School,  (now  the  Administrative  Offices),  the  Madison  School, 
the  City  Cemetery. 

The  ferries,  the  bridges,  the  roads,  the  mill  races  and  mills,  the 
shops,  and  every  line  of  trade  or  business  had  their  united  support. 

Mr.  Taylor  lived  to  a  good  old  age,  dying  August  29,  1892.  He 
saw  the  little  town  he  had  helped  to  found,  grow  to  be  one  of  the 
busiest  and  most  famous  little  cities  of  America. 


OSAH-LA-MO-NEE  OR  BLOOD  ROOT. 

Osah  la  mo'nee  was  a  little  Indian  Princess.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Big  Chief  Little  Turtle,  of  the  Miamis.  Osah  la  mo  nee 
was  the  Indian  name  for  blood  root.  Why  do  you  suppose  she  had 
that  name? 

She  was  born  in  the  spring  time  in  an  Indian  village,  quite  a 
distance  from  here.  She  was  a  dainty  little  princess,  of  light  com- 
plexion and  with  long  black  hair  which  she  wore  in  two  long 
braids  down  her  back.  She  wore  a  most  gorgeous  band,  embroid- 
ered in  porcupine  quills,  around  her  forehead. 

Her  dress  was  made  of  buck  skin,  trimmed  with  brilliantly 
colored  beads. 

Her  father  was  beloved  by  his  people,  and  because  of  this  great 
love  for  him,  they  brought  her  many  beautiful  gifts  of  bright  beads, 
skins,  moccasins,  and  trinkets  of  gold  and  silver. 


24 THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 

One  day  an  Indian  came  to  their  village  who  was  skilled  in  the 
use  of  metals.  With  fire  to  soften  the  metal  and  with  a  crude  hammer, 
he  hammered  out  ornaments  for  the  wrist,  ankles,  hair  and  ears. 
These  the  friendly  Indians  presented  to  the  Princess,  Osah  la  mo'nee. 

A  half-breed  by  the  name  of  Turner  came  to  see  Little  Turtle, 
the  Chief.  He  noticed  the  little  princess  and  cast  many  shy  glances 
at  her.  But  she  was  interested  in  her  beads  and  many  ornaments. 

The  half-breed  Turner  came  again  and  this  time  he  brought 
silver  ornaments  for  the  princess.  She  was  older  now  and  took 
more  notice  of  him,  and  when  he  asked  her  to  come  with  him,  she 
accepted  and  placing  her  hand  in  his,  she  left  the  land  of  her  father, 
and  came  to  the  land  of  the  Pottawattomies,  where  they  build  their 
wigwam  of  birch  bark. 


RUM  VILLAGE. 

An  Indian  chief  named  To  Rum  (called  Rum,  for  short)  ruled 
over  a  little  village  just  south  of  our  city.  It  has  probably  been 
called  Rum's  Village  after  him. 

Rum  Village  is  a  rolling  wooded  land,  with  a  small  creek  flow- 
ing through  it.  How  the  Indians  must  have  enjoyed  the  singing 
birds  and  the  beautiful  flowers  that  are  found  there. 

This  land  passed  from  the  Indians  direct  to  the  Ewing  family, 
of  whom  the  city  of  South  Bend  purchased  the  land  for  a  city  park 
in  1916.  It  has  been  left  in  its  natural  state,  and  is  one  of  th,e 
most  beautiful  parks  owned  by  the  city. 

1812.  It  was  Rum's  Village  to  which  Turner  brought  his  Indian 
Princess,  and  they  lived  there  in  peace  for  many  years. 

Turner  and  his  wife  had  dwelt  in  this  beautiful  woodland  for 
fifteen  years,  when  L.  M.  Taylor  arrived  in  the  village  in  1827. 

Having  engaged  in  the  fur  trading  business,  he  had  many  deal- 
ings with  the  Indians  from  Rum's  Village. 

Turner  brought  in  many  pelts  to  the  trading  post  and  often 
his  Indian  wife  came  with  him.  She  became  very  much  interested 
in  the  way  the  white  people  lived,  and  wanted  to  live  more  like 
them.  So  they  decided  to  move  into  the  town. 

There  were  only  a  few  white  women  in  the  village, — Mrs. 
Coquillard,  Mrs.  Stull,  Mrs.  Taylor,  Mrs.  Johnson,  Mrs.  Chapin  among 
those  best  known.  Osah  la  mo'nee  noticed  their  ways  of  dressing 
and  eating.  Did  she  see  many  silver  bracelets  on  the  arms  of  these 
women?  Were  the  bare  ankles  covered  with  silver  anklets?  Did 


THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND        25 


they  wear  long  chains  of  beads  and  shells  about  the  neck?  Ah!  no, 
indeed.  When  she  lived  among  the  Indians  she  was  so  proud  of  the 
great  number  of  arm  ornaments  which  she  owned.  However  she 
decided  to  give  them  up  and  dress  like  her  white  neighbors. 

Now  she  had  never  eaten  with  a  knife  or  fork  or  spoon  in  all 
her  life,  but  she  had  seen  the  white  folks  eating,  and  decided  she 
must  have  some  spoons. 

One  day  she  came  into  the  trading  post  of  L.  M.  Taylor,  carry- 
ing all  of  her  silver  ornaments. 

She  had  heard  that  Mr.  Taylor  expected  to  make  a  business  trip 
to  Detroit,  and  she  asked  him  to  take  her  pure  silver  ornaments  and 
have  them  made  into  spoons.  This  he  did,  and  Osah  la  mo'nee  was 
the  proud  possessor  of  six  silver  teaspoons  and  six  silver  table- 
spoons, each  engraved  with  a  "T." 

At  the  death  of  the  old  chief,  Little  Turtle,  the  tablespoons  were 
given  to  Mr.  Taylor  and  they  are  now  owned  by  the  descendants  of 
the  Taylor  family.  No  one  seems  to  know  just  what  happened  to 
the  teaspoons. 


HENRY  M.  STULL. 

1829. 

A  FIRST  WILDERNESS  HOME. 

When  Henry  M.  Stull  first  came  to  this  part  of  the  state,  there 
were  merely  two  trading  posts,  owned  by  Coquillard  and  Taylor, 
just  a  few  houses,  and  no  streets, — only  Indian  trails  running 
through  the  woods,  which  thickly  covered  the  ground  where  South 
Bend  now  stands. 

The  mother,  father  and  live  children  were  at  first  housed  in  an 
old  deserted  shanty,  which  had  been  used  by  whites  and  Indians  as 
;i  sugar  camp. 

The  father,  having  decided  to  locate  here,  made  the  long,  tire- 
some trip  to  Fort  Wayne,  a  government  station,  to  buy  land  for  a 
home. 

The  mother  and  children  had  many  things  to  frighten  them 
while  the  father  was  away.  The  savage  Indians  slinking  down  the 
trails  and  wild  beasts,  in  search  of  food,  kept  the  mother  and  chil- 
dren in  constant  fear.  At  one  time  the  frail  shanty  was  surrounded 
by  wild  boars,  but  ;i  pack  of  Indian  dogs  attacked  them  and  the 
fight  was  kept  up  for  hours.  Many  times  the  beasts  hurled  them- 


??_      THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 

selves  against  the  side  of  the  house,  and  the  mother,  fearing  that 
the  doors  would  be  broken  down,  threw  the  children  to  the  roof  of 
the  house  to  save  them. 

After  ten  days  the  father  returned,  having  purchased  several 
hundred  acres  of  land  for  one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  per  acre. 

They  now  set  about  to  build  a  home.  The  material  was  stand- 
ing all  about  them,  and  the  father  with  his  poor  ax  and  hand  saw, 
realized  the  huge  task  before  him.  He  cut  the  trees  down  and  sawed 
them  into  the  right  lengths  for  a  one-room  round-log  house,  sixteen 
by  eighteen  feet.  Do  you  know  what  a  round-log  house  is?  The 
father  had  no  tools  to  work  with,  so  he  had  to  use  the  log,  just  as  it 
was  cut  down.  The  round  logs  were  laid  one  on  the  other,  with  the 
bark  left  on  them.  Not  a  very  beautiful  house,  was  it?  However, 
it  was  the  best  that  could  be  had  at  that  time,  for  this  pioneer  and 
his  family. 

The  roof  and  floor  were  made  of  puncheon,  or  split  logs.  The 
door  was  made  of  the  same,  with  wooden  hinges,  and  strong  wooden 
pins. 

The  chimney  was  made  of  sticks  and  mud. 

Cooking  and  baking  was  done  before  the  open  fire-place.  Corn 
bread  was  baked  in  iron  ovens  or  kettles,  also  before  the  open  fire. 

Four  more  children  came  to  the  home  and  now  a  larger  house 
was  needed.  So  a  house  of  hewed  logs  was  built,  with  sawed  boards 
for  floors,  ceiling  and  doors.  It  had  three  rooms  and  a  sleeping 
loft,  and  wras  considered  a  very  fine  piece  of  architecture. 

Later,  a  much  finer  home  was  built  on  South  Michigan  Road, 
planed  boards,  shingles  and  paint  being  used. 

Here,  surrounded  by  prosperity,  peace  and  happiness,  they  lived 
for  many  years.  Mr.  Stull  passed  away,  followed  some  years  after- 
wards in  1879  by  Mrs.  Stull. 

It  was  from  this  last  home  that  Mary  Stull,  a  daughter,  became 
the  wife  of  John  Mohler  Studebaker. 

This  home  was  later  purchased  by  Joseph  Eckman  and  is  occu- 
pied by  him  and  his  family. 


HORATIO  CHAPIN 
Horatio  Chapin,  a  native  of  Massachusetts  wras  born  in  1803. 

In  1822,  he  decided  to  come  west.     He  stayed  in  Detroit  until 
1831,  at  which  time  he  decided  to  come  to  South  Bend,  then  just  a 


THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 27 

settlement  of  a  few  hundred  people.     He  rode  an  Indian  pony  and 
followed  the  trail  all  the  way  here. 

He  was  our  first  drygoods  merchant,  having  brought  with  him  a 
stock  of  goods.  He  at  once  opened  a  general  store  on  N.  Michigan 
Street,  near  Water  Street,  now  LaSalle  Avenue.  His  business  was  a 
success  from  the  beginning. 

The  first  cargo  of  wheat  that  was  ever  shipped  down  the  St. 
Joseph  river  on  its  way  to  Buffalo  was  sent  by  Mr.  Chapin.  Could 
you  trace  the  water  route  that  it  travelled? 

Mr.  Chapin  after  many  trials  and  disappointments  started  the 
first  Sunday  school  and  was  its  superintendent.  It  was  started  in  the 
room  over  his  store  on  Water  Street.  He  also  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  1834.  He  has  been  called  the 
"Pioneer  of  the  Sunday  School  in  St.  Joseph  county."  Why? 

Although  the  town  was  platted  and  made  the  county  Seat  in 
1831,  it  was  not  incorporated  as  a  town  until  1835.  Horatio  Chapin 
was  its  first  president.  Does  South  Bend  have  a  president  now? 
What  is  the  name  of  its  chief  officer? 

In  1838,  the  South  Bend  branch  of  the  State  Bank  of  Indiana 
was  established,  and  Mr.  Chapin  was  selected  as  its  manager  and 
cashier. 

In  1867,  he  helped  to  found  the  Historical  Society. 
He  died  in  1871. 

Chapin  Park,  a  residential  district  in  the  northwest  part  of 
the  city  was  a  part  of  the  Chapin  estate. 

Chapin  Street  commemorates  this  pioneer. 


JUDGE  THOMAS  STANFIELD 

If  you  go  into  the  Circuit  Court  room  at  the  Court  house,  be  sure 
to  look  at  the  portrait  that  hangs  at  the  front  of  the  room.  It  is  an 
excellent  likeness  of  Judge  Stanfield,  painted  by  Gregori,  the  noted 
artist. 

To  Judge  Stanfield  we  owe  a  great  debt.  He  worked  hard  to  get 
the  railroads  to  come  out  to  this  new  territory,  thus  bringing  us  into 
more  direct  communication  with  the  outside  world.  No  greater 
service  could  have  been  rendered  for  the  people  at  that  time. 

Judge  Stanfield  was  born  in  1816  and  came  to  South  Bend  in 
the  spring  of  1831.  He  was  of  Quaker  descent.  Before  taking  up 
law  he  was  our  first  Assistant  Postmaster.  He  studied  law  in  the 


28        THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 


oflice  of  Judge  Sample  and  was  later  made  judge  of  the  Ninth  Judi- 
cial Circuit  of  Indiana.  With  his  horse  and  buggy,  he  travelled 
all  over  the  eleven  counties  of  his  circuit,  holding  court.  You  see 
he  was  a  circuit  judge  for  sure. 

Judge  Stanfield  was  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature  at  three 
different  sessions. 

He  died  September  12,  1885. 


ALMOND  BUGBEE 

Almond  Bugbee,  a  native  of  Vermont,  was  an  apprentice  to  a 
tanner,  currier  and  shoemaker. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  decided  to  come  west  and  locate  in 
Milwaukee.  When  he  arrived  in  Niles,  he  heard  so  much  about 
South  Bend  that  he  was  curious  to  see  the  place. 

He  arrived  in  1837  and  soon  set  up  a  business  of  his  own  here 
and  not  only  made  boots  and  shoes,  but  operated  a  tannery. 

He  was  against  slavery  and  helped  negroes  to  escape  from  their 
masters.  His  home  was  a  station  on  the  so-called  "Underground 
Railway,"  that  is,  negroes  could  come  to  his  home  in  the  early  morn- 
ing, could  hide  all  day,  and  when  night  came,  he  would  direct  them 
to  another  place  of  safety  and  on  to  freedom. 

Mr.  Bugbee  was  born  January  3,  1815,  and  died  in  May,  1904. 

Mr.  Bugbee  was  identified  with  all  the  public  enterprises  which 
worked  for  the  best  interests  and  growth  of  South  Bend. 

In  1844,  Mr.  Bugbee  was  married  to  Miss  Adelia  Ann  Crocker,  the 
first  lady  principal  of  the  first  academy  of  South  Bend. 

Mr.  Bugbee  was  a  member  of  the  first  Board  of  Education. 

A  drinking  fountain  in  Leeper  Park,  erected  to  the  memory  of 
Mr.  Bugbee,  is  highly  appreciated  by  the  throngs  of  summer  visitors. 


DANIEL  GREENE 

Mr.  Daniel  Greene  was  born  in  a  log  house  on  a  farm  in  Ohio,  in 
1818. 

At  the  age  of  fourteen,  he  came  with  his  parents  and  thirteen 
brothers  and  sisters  to  this  county,  enduring  many  of  the  hardships 
of  the  early  traveller. 

When  they  arrived  they  found  just  a  few  log  cabins  and  an  In- 
dian trading  post  among  the  mighty  oak  trees. 


' THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND        29 

The  Greene  family  followed  the  old  Indian  trail  southwest  out 
to  Sumption  Prairie  and  located  there.  This  section  of  land  was 
later  named  Greene  Township. 

They  lived  in  and  under  the  wagons  until  a  hewed  log  house 
could  be  built.  This  house  was  eighteen  feet  wide  by  thirty  feet 
long,  with  a  fireplace  at  each  end.  This  was  considered  the  finest 
house  in  this  section  of  the  county. 

Since  the  soil  of  the  prairies  was  very  rich  and  easily  plowed, 
wheat  was  soon  sown  and  other  crops  planted. 

Daniel  was  the  seventh  son  and  there  was  always  plenty  of 
work  in  this  large  family. 

He  was  married  in  1849  to  Miss  Mary  Leeper  and  continued  to 
live  in  the  old  home,  his  mother  and  father  having  died  some  years 
before.  Mr.  Green's  wife  had  come  here  in  1830  when  only  four 
months  of  age,  with  her  parents,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Samuel  Leeper,  who 
were  among  our  earliest  pioneers. 

In  1866,  Mr.  Greene  was  appointed  deputy  county  treasurer  and 
moved  into  South  Bend.  He  was  a  stock  holder  in  South  Bend 
Chilled  Plow  Company  and  later  was  President  of  the  South  Bend 
Foundry  Company. 

He  lived  to  see  the  little  Indian  trading  post  become  one  of  the 
greatest  commercial  cities  of  the  middle  west. 

His  death  occurred  in  this  citv  in  1912. 


CHAPTER  IV 


LOCATION  AND  TOPOGRAPHY 

The  original  survey  placed  the  Michigan  State  line  two  miles 
south  of  here.  So  you  see  we  might  have  belonged  to  the  State  of 
Michigan. 

Objections  to  belonging  to  Michigan  broke  out  in  Toledo  and  in 
1816  Congress  settled  it  by  giving  us  a  lake  port  and  Toledo  was 
given  to  Ohio.  Get  out  your  geographies  and  draw  an  imaginary 
line  showing  this  first  Michigan  southern  boundary. 

The  prosperity  and  growth  of  South  Bend  is  due  to  its  favor- 
able location  in  a  rich  farming  community;  its  unexcelled  railroad 
facilities;  and  enterprise,  thrift  and  activity  of  the  men  who  have 
chosen  it  as  their  home. 

There  are  many  low  hills  around  South  Bend.  St.  Joseph  Hos- 
pital is  located  on  the  highest  point  of  land  in  the  city. 

The  St.  Joseph  River  adds  to  the  beauties  of  nature,  as  it  winds 
in  and  out.  Its  beautiful  grass-grown,  tree-covered  banks  afford 
many  beautiful  sites  for  homes. 

The  plain  on  which  South  Bend  is  located  was  once  the  bed  of 
the  Kankakee  River. 

South  Bend  used  to  be  called  Southold,  but  in  1830  was  changed 
to  South  Bend. 


SOIL 

The  soil  of  the  surrounding  country  is  very  fertile.  It  is  com- 
posed chiefly  of  sand  and  gravel,  clay  and  loam,  with  some  muck 
in  the  Kankakee  bottoms. 

Great  ditches  have  been  built  through  the  Kankakee  marsh  land 
to  drain  it.  These  lands  have  made  some  of  our  richest  and  most 
productive  farms. 

Surrounding  us  are  prairies,  marshes,  oak  openings  and  rolling 
timber  lands. 

The  oak  openings  are  covered  with  a  light  sandy  soil,  suited  to 
the  raising  of  small  fruits  and  vegetables. 


THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 31 

The  timber  lands  possess  a  sub-soil  of  clay,  covered  with  a  rich 
dark  soil  which  yields  all  the  cereals  in  abundance. 

The  prairies  both  old  and  young  have  the  richest  and  most  pro- 
ductive soils  and  are  unexcelled  for  the  raising  of  all  farm  produce 
except  wheat,  which  winter  kills  on  the  lowest  grounds. 

The  country  supplies  food,  and  raw  material.  Apples,  grapes, 
pears  and  plums,  also  potatoes,  cabbage,  onions,  sweet  corn,  tur- 
nips, radishes,  and  lettuce  are  grown  for  our  markets. 

A  new  industry  is  the  cultivation  of  peppermint.  The  world's 
chief  peppermint  supply  comes  from  the  country  surrounding  our 
city. 

The  lowlands  produce  celery  in  abundance  to  supply  our  mar- 
kets. 


CHAPTER  V 


TRANSPORTATION 

THE  ST.  JOSEPH  RIVER  AND  OTHER  HIGHWAYS  AND  BYWAYS 
THE  ST.  JOSEPH  RIVER 

One  of  the  most  beautiful  rivers  in  this  country  is  our  own  St. 
Joseph  river. 

It  rises  in  Michigan  and  flows  in  a  south-westerly  direction, 
down  into  Indiana,  then  bends  towards  the  north  again  into  Michi- 
gan and  empties  into  Lake  Michigan,  where  the  city  of  St.  Joseph 
is  located. 

A  number  of  cities  and  small  towns  are  located  on  its  banks, 
among  them  being  Elkhart,  Mishawaka,  South  Bend,  Bertrand,  Ber- 
rien  Springs,  and  St.  Joseph  at  its  mouth. 

The  Indians  called  our  river  Sawk-wauk-sil-buck.  La  Salle 
called  it  the  River  of  the  Miamis,  but  the  missionaries  named  it  the 
"St.  Joseph  of  the  Lakes."  Of  late  years  it  has  been  shortened  to 
St.  Joseph. 

Fish  abound  in  the  river.  The  Indians  used  to  catch  the  stur- 
geon and  pike  by  the  boat-loads. 


NAVIGATION  ON  THE  ST.  JOSEPH   RIVER 

Long  ago  the  Indians  in  their  birch  bark  canoes,  paddled  up 
and  down  the  river.  Later  when  the  fur-trading  companies  located 
here  larger  boats  were  needed  to  carry  the  pelts.  This  region  fur- 
nished more  pelts  from  the  bear,  raccoon,  beaver,  deer,  buffalo,  and 
other  fur-bearing  animals  than  any  other  part  of  the  country. 

The  slow-moving  river  boat  was  at  one  time  the  principal  means 
of  carrying  people  and  their  goods  to  one  point  from  another. 

The  St.  Joseph  river  was  not  always  as  unsuitable  for  navigation 
as  it  is  now.  Many  dams  have  been  built  across  it  for  commercial 
purposes,  thus  destroying  its  use  for  larger  boats,  unless  canals  and 
locks  be  built. 

In  1830,  two  men  named  Masters  and  Tipsorf  made  several  trips 


THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND        33 


from  the  mouth  of  the  river  to  South  Bend  with  a  keel-boat.  This 
boat  was  propelled  by  poles.  In  1831  the  "Newburyport,"  a  steam 
boat,  tried  to  pull  up  the  river,  but  it  failed  to  reach  South  Bend. 

In  1833  the  "Matilda  Barney"  and  "Davey  Crockett,"  two  boats 
built  with  stern-wheel  propellers,  commenced  running  and  were 
very  successful. 

Many  of  our  early  settlers  arrived  on  these  river  boats  with  all 
of  their  household  goods. 

Merchandise  for  the  posts  and  stores  were  also  received  in  this 
way. 

On  the  down  trips,  these  boats  would  carry  grain,  flour,  hides, 
pork,  furs,  and  pig  iron. 


FERRIES 
1831. 

There  were  no  bridges  across  the  St.  Joseph  river  at  this  early 
time. 

The  pioneers  had  settled  on  both  sides  of  the  river.  As  it  was 
not  convenient  for  every  one  to  have  his  own  boat,  the  County  Com- 
missioners authorized  a  ferry  to  be  established  in  1831.  Mr.  Nehe- 
miah  B.  Griffith  was  required  to  pay  a  license  fee  of  two  dollars  for 
the  privilege  of  running  the  ferry.  The  place  where  La  Salle  Ave- 
nue now  crosses  the  river  was  chosen  as  the  most  convenient  loca- 
tion for  it.  You  remember  Mr.  Coquillard  had  built  his  mill  at  this 
location. 

In  1835  Mr.  Coquillard  was  granted  a  license  to  establish  a  ferry 
where  Colfax  Avenue  is  now  located.  He  had  two  boats. 

If  Mr.  Brown  from  Lowell  on  the  east  side  of  the  river  wished  to 
bring  his  grain  to  the  mill  of  Mr.  Coquillard  he  could  drive  his  team 
right  onto  the  flat  boat  and  be  ferried  across  the  river.  This  would 
cost  him  thirty-one  and  one-fourth  (31  % )  cents  for  each  wagon 
and  two  horses,  and  six  and  one-fourth  (GH)  cents  for  each  person. 

If  Mr.  White  wished  to  bring  hogs  or  sheep  over  to  the  butcher's, 
he  must  pay  two  cents  per  head  to  the  ferry  man. 

This  became  a  very  profitable  business.  Larger  boats  were 
demanded,  more  ferries  were  established  and  higher  license  fees 
were  charged. 


34  THE   STORY  OF  SOUTH   BEND 


CANALS 

The  need  for  canals  and  improved  transportation  was  greater 
in  Indiana  than  any  other  of  the  states  of  the  Northwest  territory 
because  of  the  dense  forests,  swampy  land  and  impassable  streams. 

In  1826,  the  contract  was  let  for  the  building  of  the  Wabash 
and  Erie  Canal,  although  work  was  not  begun  until  1832. 

At  the  present  time  (1920),  Congress  is  being  urged  to  build  a 
canal  connecting  the  Great  Lakes  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  with 
branch  routes  leading  through  or  near  South  Bend  connecting  lakes 
Michigan  and  Erie. 

Money  has  been  appropriated  to  cover  the  cost  of  a  survey  of 
a  twelve-foot  inland  waterway  through  Ohio  and  Indiana.  One  of 
the  questions  on  which  the  engineers  must  decide,  is  the  constant 
supply  of  water  to  feed  the  canal. 

This  barge  canal  would  place  us  in  connection  with  eastern  and 
middle  west  territory  and  the  entire  Mississippi  valley. 

Should  the  engineers  decide  on  the  route  through  Fort  Wayne  and 
South  Bend  to  Michigan  City,  it  will  be  necessary  for  the  people 
within  a  zone  of  about  twenty-live  miles  on  each  side  of  the  canal 
to  vote  in  favor  of  a  special  tax  in  order  to  secure  the  improvement. 

Should  this  canal  be  built,  it  will  relieve  the  congestion  of  the  rail- 
ways and  solve  the  transportation  problems  for  the  future. 


TRAILS 

It  is  very  difficult  for  us  to  realize  all  the  hardships  of  transpor- 
tation that  the  early  pioneers  suffered. 

How  did  the  Indians  get  from  place  to  place?  Do  you  remem- 
ber that  they  built  their  own  canoes  and  paddled  up  or  down  stream 
as  they  wished?  Then  in  order  to  get  from  one  waterway  to  an- 
other, they  would  find  a  good  landing  place,  put  their  canoes  upside 
down  on  their  heads,  and  trudged  over  the  hills  or  through  the  val- 
leys and  forests  to  their  destination. 

Often  these  paths  or  trails  had  been  made  by  the  buffalo,  elk, 
bear,  otter,  wolf,  fox,  or  other  wild  animals  which  roamed  over  this 
land  where  we  now  live. 

These  paths  became  fixed  and  permanent  highways.  These 
Indian  trails  never  crossed  hills  which  they  could  go  around;  they 
crept  through  the  hollows,  always  avoiding  the  swampy  places;  they 
kept  to  the  shadows  of  the  big  timber  belts;  and,  when  crossing  an 
open  prairie,  traversed  the  least  exposed  and  shortest  route. 


THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND        35 


Among  the  many  noted  trails  were  the  Portage  trail,  leading  from 
Pinhook  bend  of  the  St.  Joseph  river  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Kan- 
kakee,  now  called  Portage  avenue;  The  Dragoon  trace,  the  trail  fol- 
lowed by  the  fur  traders  in  coming  from  the  post  of  what  is  now 
Fort  Wayne  and  the  post  located  here.  Lincoln  Way  East  is  a  part 
of  this  trail. 

Any  one  who  has  followed  the  road  to  Crumstown  will  recognize 
the  winding  trail,  bending  here  and  there  to  avoid  obstructions  of 
various  kinds.  This  trail  led  toward  the  south  and  was  used  by  the 
Indians  coming  from  villages  inhabited  by  other  groups  of  the 
Miarais. 

South  Michigan  Street,  a  part  of  the  old  Michigan  road,  marks 
the  line  of  another  old  southern  trail  leading  to  the  Pottawattomie 
villages  at  Twin  Lakes  and  Lake  Maxinkuckee. 

Sumption  Prairie  road  to  the  southwest  and  South  Bend  Avenue 
to  the  northeast,  mark  the  locations  of  other  trails. 


THE  MICHIGAN  ROAD 
(iood  roads  were  of  great  importance  to  the  early  settler. 

In  a  treaty  of  1826  the  United  States  secured  from  the  Pottawat- 
tomies  the  land  for  the  construction  of  the  Michigan  road. 

In  March,  1827,  surveyors  set  out  to  locate  and  make  a  road 
from  Lake  Michigan  to  the  Ohio  River.  This  road  was  to  be  one 
hundred  feet  wide  throughout  its  entire  course. 

On  account  of  the  Kankakee  marsh  it  was  necessary  to  make  an 
indirect  route,  thereby  bringing  the  road  from  Michigan  City  to  South 
Bend,  and  then  on  in  a  southerly  direction  to  the  Ohio  River. 

The  road  was  planked  and  corduroyed  in  a  number  of  sections 
where  necessary.  Do  you  know  what  a  corduroy  road  is?  If  you 
have  ever  ridden  over  one,  you  surely  never  would  forget  it. 

The  swampy  places  in  the  road  are  filled  in  by  placing  round 
logs  close  together  across  the  road.  This  kept  horses  and  wagons 
of  all  kinds  from  sinking  into  the  mire.  Can  you  imagine  the  jolts 
you  would  receive  as  you  drove  across? 

This  road  served  as  an  outlet  to  the  east  by  way  of  the  Ohio 
river. 

Many  immigrants  from  the  east  flocked  to  the  new  land. 

This  road  was  completed  through  here  in  1832  and  through  to 
the  lake  in  1834  :md  183."). 


36        THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 


LINCOLN   HIGHWAY 

Lincoln  Highway,  a  national  road,  passes  through  South  Bend 
on  its  coast  to  coast  route.  It  is  named  in  honor  of  Abraham  Lin- 
coln. 

It  follows  the  south  bank  of  the  St.  Joseph  river  from  Misha- 
waka,  passes  through  the  heart  of  the  business  district  and  on  in  a 
westerly  direction  on  La  Salle  Street  and  what  is  now  Lincoln  Way 
West  (formerly  Michigan  Avenue).  This  road  is  marked  with  red, 
white  and  blue  bars,  surmounted  by  a  large  capital  L  painted  on 
telegraph  poles. 

A  memorial  to  Soldiers  and  Sailors  of  the  World  War  will  be 
placed  on  this  national  highway  within  the  county  limits. 


BRIDGES 
7847 

The  first  bridge  across  the  St.  Joseph  river  was  built  at  Wash- 
ington Street  on  the  west  side  and  connecting  with  Market  (now 
Colfax)  on  the  east  side,  in  1847. 

Soon  another  bridge  was  needed  at  Water  street  (now  La  Salle 
Avenue)  and  a  wooden  bridge  with  a  roof  over  it  was  constructed. 
In  1865,  a  tornado  swept  over  our  city  doing  some  damage  to  public 
buildings,  and  struck  and  damaged  the  roof  at  the  east  end  of  the 
bridge.  The  county  commissioners  decided  to  remove  the  entire 
roof  instead  of  repairing  the  old  one. 

Next  a  plain  wooden  bridge  was  erected  at  Jefferson  Street  and 
later  the  Leeper  bridge  on  N.  Michigan  Street. 

Four  miles  north  of  the  city  at  Sider's  Mill  another  bridge  was 
built.  This  was  a  great  convenience  to  the  residents  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  river,  who  wished  to  bring  their  grain  to  the  flour- 
ing mill.  Before  the  bridge  was  built  the  ferry  took  the  farmers 
across  the  river  with  their  loads  of  grain  to  be  ground. 

These  wooden  bridges  were  all  replaced  later  with  iron  ones. 

192V 

Today  all  bridges  within  the  city  limits  are  of  concrete  and  steel 
construction,  broad  streets  and  sidewalks  traversing  them. 

Recent  investigations  seem  to  indicate  that  the  first  bridge 
was  built  about  1837  by  Mr.  Coquillard  at  Marion  Street.  Many  citi- 
zens remember  the  upright  posts  standing  in  the  bed  of  the  river 
long  after  the  bridge  was  gone. 


THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND        37 


THE  FIRST  RAILROAD  TRAIN 

Such  a  commotion  as  there  was  in  town?  Every  able-bodied 
man,  woman  and  child  was  out  on  the  road,  walking,  riding  or 
driving  in  the  old  family  carriage.  Can  you  guess  the  reason  for 
all  this  excitement?  It  was  Saturday,  October  4,  1851. 

The  news  had  spread  all  over  the  country  side  that  the  first 
train  was  to  arrive  from  the  east  over  the  Michigan  Southern  and 
Northern  Indiana  railroad.  (This  is  now  the  Lake  Shore  Division  of 
the  New  York  Central  Lines.) 

As  the  train  pulled  into  the  station,  located  on  West  South 
Street,  everybody  cheered  lustily — bonfires  were  lighted  and  forty- 
eight  rounds  from  the  town's  old  iron  cannon  were  fired. 

Had  the  boys  and  girls  of  today  been  there,  they  surely  would 
have  joined  in  the  shouting  and  cheering  at  the  sight  that  met  their 
eyes  as  that  first  train  came  down  the  tracks.  What  a  frightful  look- 
ing thing  it  was  as  it  came  steaming  down  the  iron  tracks  with  such 
a  great  noise. 

The  engine  was  about  the  size  of  a  modern  tractor,  the  wheels 
not  over  forty-eight  inches  in  diameter.  Wood  was  used  for  fuel, 
the  tender  was  piled  high  with  large  chunks  and  the  fireman  was 
kept  very  busy. 

The  smoke-stack  was  shaped  like  a  balloon.  The  engine  had  a 
name.  It  was  called  the  John  Stryker.  Can  you  guess  where  they 
got  the  idea  of  naming  engines?  Boats  always  had  names,  so  as 
engines  were  built  and  came  into  use  they  too  were  given  names. 
Do  the  engines  of  today  have  names? 

The  coaches  were  about  the  size  of  our  large  electric  cars. 
There  were  three  of  them,  each  carrying  about  thirty-six  people. 
The  baggage  car  was  very  short. 

Hand-brakes  were  used  on  these  first  trains. 

South  Bend  was  the  end  of  the  line  at  that  time  and  the  train 
started  back  to  the  east  the  next  morning. 

Later  the  line  was  extended  to  Chicago. 

The  coming  of  steam  trains  brought  rapid  changes  to  this  new 
country. 

Other  railroads  entering  the  city  besides  the  New  York  Central, 
are: 

Chicago,  Indiana  and  Southern         Michigan  Central  branch. 

Lake  Erie  and  Western.  The  Grand  Trunk. 

Pennsylvania  Lines — Vandalia. 

New  Jersey,  Indiana  and  Illinois,  besides  the  Interurbans. 


38  THE   STORY   OF   SOUTH   BEND 


STREET  RAILWAYS  AND  INTERURRANS 

In  1873  the  South  Rend  Street  Railway  Company  was  incorpo- 
rated, but  it  was  not  until  1880  that  the  common  council  granted 
the  first  franchise. 

The  company  was  allowed  to  lay  the  rails  but  not  allowed  to 
use  any  power,  other  than  horses  or  mules  to  draw  the  street-cars. 
Wouldn't  that  be  a  queer  sight  today?  And  such  queer  little  cars 
that  were  used! 

In  1882,  they  attempted  the  use  of  the  trolley  system,  the 
first  attempt  of  its  kind  in  the  history  of  street  railways.  This 
proved  a  failure,  as  the  cars  would  go  only  a  part  of  a  block,  and 
then  stop,  on  account  of  the  failure  of  the  electric  power. 

Later  this  defect  was  remedied,  and  cars  now  run  by  electricity 
on  all  our  streets  and  between  cities. 

Power  houses  were  erected  to  furnish  power  between  the 
towns  of  Osceola,  Elkhart,  Goshen,  Laporte,  Michigan  City,  Niles, 
Berrien  Springs  and  St.  Joseph. 


CHAPTER  VI 
TELEGRAPH  AND  TELEPHONE 

THE  FIRST  TELEGRAPH 

In  1847,  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company  wanted  to  con- 
struct a  line,  connecting  Buffalo  and  Milwaukee.  In  order  to  pass 
through  South  Bend,  the  citizens  were  asked  to  contribute  $2,000 
and  to  the  credit  of  our  enterprising  citizens  of  that  early  day  the 
money  was  at  once  subscribed,  but  Chicago  refused  to  give  any  help 
to  this  enterprise,  and  the  promoters  were  forced  to  give  up  the 
project  for  a  while.  However  in  1848,  the  line  was  completed, 
and  South  Bend  was  in  easy  communication  with  the  east. 

Mrs.  J.  B.  Reynolds  received  the  first  message  that  was  sent 
over  the  line.  This  message  is  preserved  in  the  Historical  Asso- 
ciation rooms  in  the  old  Court  House. 

Before  1848,  the  only  way  we  could  hear  anything  of  what 
was  going  on  with  the  outside  world,  was  such  as  the  lumbering 
stage  coach  and  slow-moving  river  boat  could  give  us. 

The  quickest  way  to  get  the  news  was  that  which  the  well- 
mounted  horse  back  rider  provided. 

Long  intervals  elapsed  between  the  occurrence  of  important 
events  in  the  eastern  states  and  the  first  arrival  of  the  news  in  this 
part  of  the  country. 

The  telegraph  changed  all  this  and  news  was  flashed  across  the 
country. 


TELEPHONE 

In  1880,  we  had  our  first  telephone  exchange. 

In    188(J,  the  Central   Union   Company  was  authorized   to  raise 
its  poles  and  wires  for  business. 

In    1893,   the   Long  Distance   telephone   company   extended   its 
lines  through  South  Bend  from  New  York  to  Chicago. 

Telephone  service  is  improving  all  the  time.     It  is  now  possible 
to  telephone  to  New  York  or  California. 


CHAPTER  VII 


THE  GOLD  SUEKEKS  AND  THE  HUSH  TO  CALIFORNIA 

In  1848,  gold  was  discovered  in  California.  Glowing  tales  of 
the  richness  of  the  discovery  were  on  every  tongue. 

The  rush  to  the  gold-fields  was  unequalled  in  history.  Lawyers, 
merchants,  engineers,  farmers,  blacksmiths,  and  doctors  dropped 
their  work  and  planned  to  leave  immediately. 

But  how  were  they  to  get  there?  The  Indians  and  our  early 
pioneers  had  followed  the  trails  and  waterways.  Between  here  and 
California  there  was  no  satisfactory  road  or  water-way.  Look  at 
your  map  of  the  United  States,  and  decide  for  yourself. 

In  1849,  one  hundred  eight  men  and  women  of  our  tov/n  and 
county  decided  to  seek  riches  in  the  gold  fields.  South  Bend  was 
one  of  the  first  communities  in  the  middle  west  to  start  an  expedi- 
tion to  California.  Some  went  across  the  plains  and  some  by  way 
of  Panama. 

There  was  great  excitement  in  town  and  many  friends  turned 
out  to  see  them  start.  They  had  two  wagons,  seven  yoke  of  oxen, 
and  two  years'  supply  of  food. 

They  left  home  in  the  spring.     Road  conditions  were  deplorable. 
Mud,  slush  and  flood  were  passed  through  on  the  way. 

Many  wearied  of  the  trip  and  returned  home.  As  they  reached 
the  prairies  the  road  conditions  improved,  but  other  troubles  arose. 
The  Indians  resented  their  coming  through  these  western  lands  and 
attacked  them.  Many  streams  had  to  be  forded;  often  times  the 
wagons  would  break  down,  and  stops  would  have  to  bo  made  for 
repairs. 

After  seven  months  of  slow  tedious  travel,  over  hill,  mountain, 
prairie  and  desert,  they  finally  arrived  in  the  land  of  California. 

They  were  a  happy,  jolly  party.  Many  an  evening  was  whiled 
away  around  the  camp-fire,  singing  songs  and  playing  on  the  many 
musical  instruments  which  they  had  brought  with  them. 

All  suffered  privations  and  hardships  beyond  description.  Only 
a  few  found  gold  in  large  enough  quantities  to  be  able  to  save  it 
and  bring  it  back  to  their  home  town. 

Among  those  who  made  the  trip  either  in  184'J  or  later  were: 
David  R.  Leeper,  Chauncey  O.  Fassett,  Ethan  S.  Reynolds  and  J. 
M.  Studebaker. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


JOHNNY  APPLESEED 
JOHN  CHAPMAN 

Do  you  know  why  we  have  so  many  apples  in  this  part  of  the 
country?  Many  years  ago  (1801)  there  was  a  young  man,  by  the 
name  of  John  Chapman,  who  thought  it  was  a  sin  to  kill  anything 
in  order  to  get  food.  He  didn't  want  the  settlers  in  this  new  country 
to  eat  the  wild  meat  and  fish  found  in  forests  and  streams.  He 
considered  this  a  savage  way  of  living. 

He  visited  the  cider  presses  of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania  and 
filled  his  bags  with  the  seeds  that  had  been  thrown  away. 

He  wanted  to  do  some  good  in  the  world,  so  with  his  pack  on 
his  back,  he  travelled  westward  to  this  new  country  through  Ohio 
and  into  Indiana. 

He  was  a  queer  looking  man.  He  wore  a  coffee  sack  for  a  coat 
with  holes  cut  in  it  for  his  head  and  arms.  He  sometimes  wore  a 
tin  pan  on  his  head,  which  served  both  for  a  hat  and  a  stewpan. 
He  went  barefoot  the  most  of  the  time,  even  in  winter. 

Except  in  very  bad  weather  he  always  slept  in  the  open  forest. 
When  necessary  to  sleep  indoors,  he  preferred  to  lie  on  the  floor 
in  front  of  the  fire  place  with  his  kit  for  a  pillow. 

In  those  days  there  were  many  Indians  all  over  the  country 
and  they  often  met  and  walked  with  John.  When  they  saw  what 
he  was  doing  with  the  apple  cores,  they  thought  he  was  silly. 

They  said,  "Apple  seed  John  will  be  dead  many,  many  moons 
before  those  seeds  will  bear  fruit."  They  did  not  know  that  it  was 
for  the  people  who  lived  after  him,  that  old  John  planted  the  apple 
seeds. 

The  little  seeds  took  root  and  tiny  twigs  appeared.  How  slowly 
they  grew.  But  after  many  years,  there  stood  in  the  woods  and 
meadows  many  apple  trees. 

For  forty  years  Johnny  Appleseed  travelled  the  forests  and 
prairies  of  Ohio  and  Indiana,  caring  for  his  trees,  teaching  the 
farmers  apple  culture,  and  assisting  them  in  planting  and  caring 
for  orchards. 


42        THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 


Old  Simon  Pokagon,  an  Indian  chief,  lived  near  here,  and  when 
he  heard  that  Johnny  Appleseed  was  on  his  way,  he  would  drive 
out  with  his  two-wheeled  wagon,  and  his  yoke  of  oxen  and  meet 
him.  They  always  had  a  good  visit,  then  the  old  chief  would  drive 
to  the  next  village  with  him.  He  was  always  glad  to  ride  with  this 
friendly  Indian  . 

He  died  in  1847,  age  seventy-two. 


THE  BLACK  HAWK  RAID 

In  1832,  Black  Hawk,  a  famous  Indian  chief,  seeking  revenge 
on  the  whites  for  taking  the  lands  from  his  people,  gathered  his  war- 
riors about  him,  put  on  the  war-paint  and  made  the  attack. 

His  plan  was  to  creep  stealthily  up  to  the  villages,  kill  the  peo- 
ple, drive  off  the  stock,  and  burn  the  property. 

Our  little  settlement  immediately  became  alarmed  and  plans 
were  drawn  for  a  fort  to  be  built  on  the  present  site  of  the  stand- 
pipe. 


HDBBQIDI 


[ID] 
PLAN  OF  THE  FORT 

It  was  constructed  of  split  longs,  eight  or  ten  feet  long,  set  deep 
in  the  ground,  and  close  together,  so  as  to  shield  the  people  within, 
and  keep  back  the  hordes  of  Indians  without. 

L.  M.  Taylor  was  appointed  colonel  and  placed  in  charge  of 
the  fort. 

The  inhabitants  were  in  constant  fear  of  the  Indians.  Many 
false  alarms  were  spread  as  to  the  nearness  of  the  foe. 

Jean  Beaudoin,  a  young  Frenchman,  travelled  on  foot  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  miles  to  notify  the  villages  of  the  approach  of  Black 
Hawk.  Arriving  in  South  Bend,  he  delivered  his  message  and  died 
from  exhaustion. 

Preparations  were  made  to  occupy  the  fort  when  word  was 
received  that  the  Indians  had  been  stopped.  Black  Hawk  never 
attempted  another  attack  on  the  whites. 


THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND        43 


THE  SPELLING  SCHOOL  AT  BERTRAM) 

Long,  long  time  ago,  when  South  Bend  was  just  a  small  village 
it  was  quite  the  usual  thing  to  have  "spelling  matches"  to  determine 
who  was  the  best  speller  in  the  whole  town. 

Mary  Ann  Massey  and  Mary  Ann  Eaton,  sat  by  the  fireplace 
one  spring  day,  busily  sewing  and  discussing  the  great  difficulty 
of  a  girl  earning  money  in  this  little  frontier  settlement  of  South 
Bend  in  1837.  Money  was  very  scarce,  and  woman's  work  was 
counted  of  small  value. 

"You  have  the  advantage,"  said  Mary  Ann  Massey,  "for  you  are 
older  than  I  and  your  mother  is  well.  They  all  call  me  a  little 
girl,  and  it  takes  much  of  my  time  to  help  mother  for  she  is  never 
strong.  I  have  been  more  than  two  weeks,  making  two  shirts  for 
Louis,  the  wood-chopper,  and  I  will  receive  only  fifty  cents  when 
they  are  done,  and  I  am  furnishing  the  buttons  and  thread,  loo. 

"Knitting  socks  at  a  shilling  a  pair,  is  slow  too,"  said  the  other 
Mary  Ann.  "But  then  we  must  not  worry.  Next  week  is  the  spell- 
ing school  at  Bertrand,  and  such  a  gay  time  as  we  will  have.  Mary 
Ann  Massey  if  you  would  just  go  and  show  those  town  smarties 
how  to  spell  this  would  be  the  happiest  spot  in  Indiana.  If  I  were 
a  whole  spelling  book  like  you  are,  nothing  would  keep  me  away." 

"If  I  had  a  nice  merino  dress  like  yours,  nothing  would  keep 
me  away.  My  clothes  do  very  well  here,  but  not  for  a  large  town 
like  Bertrand. 

"How  much   money  have  you?" 
"Almost  three  dollars." 

"We  will  finish  the  shirts  right  now,  and  that  will  make  fifty 
cents  more.  Then  I  will  lend  you  the  difference  and  we  will  get 
that  pretty  blue  merino  at  Brownfields'  store.  We  will  make  it  nice 
and  wide,  and  South  Bend  will  spell  down  all  the  towns  on  the 
river." 

How  their  needles  Hew  that  afternoon,  and  they  soon  finished 
the  shirts.  The  next  thing  was  to  deliver  them,  so  they  started 
through  the  woods  to  find  Louis,  the  woodchopper. 

The  path  wound  under  the  oaks  and  through  ferns  and  wild 
flowers,  past  the  place  where  the  Grand  Trunk  depot  now  stands, 
then  on  up  the  incline  called  the  bluff,  through  the  yard  of  the  pres- 
ent Lafayette  school,  then  skirting  eastward  along  the  edge  of  a  clear 
little  pond,  they  found  Louis  working  far  out  in  the  forest.  (Thej 
Studebaker  Administration  building  occupies  the  spot  where  the 
girls  found  Louis.)  It  was  too  far  for  girls  to  venture  alone,  but  so 


44        THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 


intent  were  they  on  their  errand,  that  they  did  not  realize  the  dis- 
tance they  had  come. 

With  the  money  clasped  close  in  her  hand,  Mary  Ann  skipped 
along,  both  girls  talking  eagerly  about  the  new  dress. 

Suddenly  old  Wahtemah  stepped  from  the  shelter  of  a  tree  and 
blocked  the  path.  When  Wahtemah  was  sober,  he  was  just  a  lazy, 
worthless  Indian;  when  drunk,  he  was  a  cruel  brute.  He  must  have 
seen  Mary  Ann  receive  the  money  from  Louis  for  he  instantly  de- 
manded it.  Frowning  fiercely  he  thrust  his  huge  red  hand  toward 
Mary  Ann,  muttering,  "Give,  give." 

With  a  wonderful  display  of  courage,  she  backed  against  a  tree 
and  refused  to  give  up  her  hard  earnings.  "No,  Wahtemah,  you 
cannot  have." 

"Give,"  he  cried,  lifting  his  tomahawk. 

"Give  it  to  him,  Mary  Ann,  give  it  to  him,"  pleaded  her  com- 
panion. 

"I  will  not  let  him  have  it!    Never,  never!" 

Enraged  and  cursing  he  drew  his  arm  up  to  strike,  when  a 
brown  fist  shot  out  from  the  bushes,  and  knocked  him  headlong. 

"Well,"  said  Louis,  the  wood-chopper,  "I  saw  that  skunk  hang- 
ing around  in  the  underbrush,  so  I  thought  I  would  follow  you." 

It  is  strange  to  record  that  the  brave  and  invincible  Mary  Ann 
fainted  as  soon  as  the  danger  was  over  but  that  is  just  what  she  did, 
and  Louis  had  to  carry  her  home. 

Mary  Ann  Eaton  carried  out  their  plans,  bought  the  blue  merino, 
and  rallied  all  the  settlement  girls  to  the  sewing  bee.  Matilda  Busha, 
Peg  Johnson,  Mary  Ellen  Patterson,  Elmina  Phelps,  Nancy  Wade 
and  Mrs.  Massey  were  busy  putting  the  finest  of  stitches  into  the 
new  dress. 

Mary  Ann  was  not  allowed  to  do  anything.  She  lay  on  the 
turkey-red  calico  couch  and  studied  the  old  blue  spelling  book. 
Many  were  the  predictions  as  to  her  success — at  the  spelling  school. 

When  the  great  day  came,  Mrs.  Massey  viewed  her  daughter, 
with  mingled  pleasure  and  anxiety.  The  new  dress  with  its  tight 
waist,  skirt  four  yards  wide,  mutton-leg  sleeves  and  white  embroid- 
ered linen  collar  was  the  height  of  pioneer  fashion.  The  color  was 
most  becoming  to  the  delicate  beauty  of  Mary  Ann. 

"Now,  daughter,  don't  forget  your  spelling  and  don't  let  the 
boat  sink,  for  you  might  drown." 

"I'll  try  not  to  do  either,  mother,  for  getting  my  dress  wet  would 
be  worse  than  drowning." 


45 


When  the  "Davy  Crockett"  tied  up  at  the  little  wharf,  there  were 
so  many  passengers  that  it  was  impossible  to  take  them  all.  Un- 
daunted, some  went  down  in  row-boats,  some  took  the  narrow  trail 
that  wound  along  the  bank.  Each  wanted  to  witness  the  downfall 
of  proud  Bertrand.  Those  who  could  not  go,  waved  hands  and 
shouted  encouragement,  until  the  little  steamer  passed  out  of  sight. 

Bertrand  was  a  bustling  town  of  a  thousand  inhabitants  and 
this  gala  occasion  had  drawn  together  a  large  number  of  visitors 
from  Niles,  St.  Joseph,  Mishawaka,  and  all  the  surrounding  country. 
They  came  in  ox-carts,  on  foot,  on  horse-back,  in  canoes,  in  flat-boats 
and  pirogues. 

Mary  Ann  felt  dazed,  but  no  one  paid  any  special  attention  to 
her,  and  she. gradually  overcame  the  disconcerting  effect  of  such  an 
unusual  crowd  of  people. 

The  spelling  took  place  in  the  largest  room  of  the  largest  tavern; 
Captain  Higbee  was  the  leader  on  the  one  side  and  Mr.  Yerrington 
on  the  other.  Mr.  Yerrington  having  heard  from  Mr.  Coquillard  of 
the  spelling  ability  of  Mary  Ann,  and  being  very  desirous  of  pleasing 
that  gentleman,  promptly  chose  Mary  Ann  on  his  side. 

The  house,  the  yards,  and  adjoining  streets  were  packed  with 
interested  listeners.  The  school-master  from  Niles  pronounced  the 
words. 

There  were  many  good  spellers  in  those  days,  but  gradually  one 
after  another  was  spelled  down  much  to  the  disappointment  of  their 
friends,  who  had  made  many  bets  on  their  ability. 

No  one  took  our  Mary  Ann  seriously,  as  she  was  only  fourteen 
and  small  for  her  age.  Upheld  by  the  consciousness  of  her  beauti- 
ful dress,  she  stood  calmly  smiling  and  spelled  and  spelled  and 
spelled.  Phthisic,  pneumonia  and  pterodactyl,  ichthysaurus  and 
idiosyncratical,  all  rolled  off  her  tongue  as  easily  as  c-a-t  cat.  On 
and  on  until  the  spelling  book  was  exhausted,  and  the  weary  school- 
master took  up  a  strange  book,  called  a  dictionary.  Cries  of  "un- 
fair" went  round  the  room,  and  Mary  Ann  felt  a  queer  sensation  of 
dread  for  a  moment,  but  the  thought  of  her  white  embroidered  col- 
lar and  her  gold  pin  steadied  her  nerves  and  she  spelled  on  reso- 
lutely. At  last  she  stood  alone  on  the  floor.  She  had  won  the  spell- 
ing match. 

So  great  was  the  joy  of  Antoine  Lasseur,  a  French  hunter,  that 
he  grabbed  his  coonskin  cap,  pushed  his  way  through  the  crowd, 
and  "striking  the  courier's  lope,"  ran  all  the  way  back  to  South 
Bend  with  the  glad  news.  Do  you  know  what  is  meant  by  "striking 
the  courier's  lope"?  In  those  days  it  was  often  necessary  to  send 
messages  from  one  place  to  another  and  the  foot-path  was  often 


46        THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 


the  shortest  route.  A  runner  who  could  keep  up  a  steady  gait  all 
the  way,  was  the  best  one  to  carry  important  messages.  All  hunters 
and  woodsmen  aimed  to  acquire  this  ability. 

When  the  "Matilda  Barney"  steamed  up  the  little  wharf  every- 
body was  on  the  river  bank  to  greet  Mary  Ann.  Joyful  laughter,  ring- 
ing cheers,  happy  congratulations,  met  her  and  she  fully  deserved 
them,  too.  This  was  the  first  time  that  such  great  honors  had  come 
to  South  Bend.  The  champion  speller  of  St.  Joseph  County  was 
Mary  Ann  Massey. 


This  is  a  true  story  told  to  Mrs.  Emma  B.  Harris  by  Mary  Ann 
Massey,  herself. 


CHAPTER  IX 
GROWTH  OF  THE  PRESS 

THE  FIRST  NEWSPAPER. 

The  first  newspaper  to  be  established  in  this  town  was  the 
Northwestern  Pioneer  and  Intelligencer  in  1831.  It  was  started  by 
John  D.  and  Joseph  H.  Defrees. 

The  printing  press  and  print  paper  were  brought  overland  from 
the  east  in  an  ox-cart. 

This  was  the  first  paper  published  north  of  the  Wabash  river 
or  west  of  Detroit. 

News  was  scarce  in  those  early  days.  The  mail  came  by  stage 
only  once  in  two  weeks.  After  a  six  months'  struggle,  the  paper 
was  sold  and  its  name  changed  to  the  "St.  Joseph  Beacon."  Why  do 
you  suppose  they  changed  its  name?  Why  did  they  think  "Beacon" 
a  better  name?  After  eighteen  months,  the  publication  of  the  paper 
was  discontinued. 

In  1836,  the  "South  Bend  Free  Press"  appeared.  This  paper 
continued  publication  for  nine  years,  when  in  1845  Albert  West  and 
Schuyler  Colfax  bought  the  office  and  fixtures  and  changed  the  name 
to  the  "St.  Joseph  Valley  Register." 

For  twenty  years  this  paper  was  conducted  under  their  able 
leadership. 

The  Register  was  always  opposed  to  slavery,  and  many  editori- 
als were  written  to  convince  readers  of  the  wrongs  committed  in  the 
slave  states. 

In  1865,  the  paper  was  sold  again.  There  were  many  changes 
in  ownership  from  then  until  1887,  when  the  paper  went  out  of 
existence. 


HONORABLE  SCHUYLER  COLFAX. 

One  of  our  most  honored  citizens  and  one  who  achieved 
national  distinction  was  Schuyler  Colfax,  a  former  vice-president 
of  the  United  States. 


48 THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 

He  was  born  in  the  state  of  New  York  in  1823.  At  the  age  of 
thirteen  he  came  west  and  settled  in  New  Carlisle,  St.  Joseph  County. 

He  early  developed  a  taste  for  politics  and  newspaper  work. 
He  worked  as  an  errand  boy  in  the  office  of  the  newspaper,  which 
he  later  bought  and  edited.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two  (1845)  he 
founded  the  St.  Joseph  Valley  Register  and  became  its  editor. 

At  first  local  news  was  scarce,  so  the  paper  was  published  only 
once  a  week.  In  1848,  the  telegraph  brought  more  news  from  the 
outside  world,  but  still  there  were  not  enough  patrons  to  warrant  a 
daily  issue. 

Mr.  Colfax  continued  as  editor  and  owner  until  1865. 

In  1855,  he  was  elected  to  Congress,  and  re-elected  for  six  con- 
secutive terms.  From  1863-1869,  he  was  the  Speaker  of  the  House 
of  Representatives. 

In  1869,  he  was  elected  as  vice-president  on  the  ticket  with 
U.  S.  Grant. 

He  was  beloved  by  the  citizens  of  South  Bend  and  all  who  knew 
him  best. 

He  was  an  eloquent  orator  and  wise  statesman. 

His  name  will  be  honored  for  many  generations  as  one  who 
stood  as  the  highest  type  of  American  citizen. 

He  died  in  1885. 

The  name  Market  Street  was  changed  to  Colfax  Avenue. 

Colfax  school  is  named  for  this  worthy  citizen. 


THE  SOUTH  BEND  TRIBUNK. 

In  1872,  Alfred  B.  Miller  and  Elmer  Crockett  founded  the  South 
Bend  Tribune.  These  men  had  worked  on  the  St.  Joseph  Valley 
Register,  so  their  experience  helped  them  in  starting  the  new  paper. 

November  4,  1887,  the  Tribune  Printing  Company,  publisher  of 
the  South  Bend  Tribune,  bought  the  name  and  equipment  of  the  St. 
Joseph  Valley  Register. 

The  Tribune  was  a  success  from  the  start.  It  was  then  and  still 
is  an  independent  Republican  newspaper. 

The  Tribune  was  the  first  newspaper  in  this  part  of  Indiana  to 
be  printed  on  a  rotary  stereotype  press.  The  linotype  and  intertype 
machines  are  also  used  for  setting  type. 

A  modern  press  will  print,  fold  and  count  the  papers  at  the  rate 
of  36,000  per  hour. 


THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND        49 


1920 — This  Company  is  building  a  modern  fireproof  newspaper 
building  of  three  stories  at  the  corner  of  Lafayette  Boulevard  and 
Colfax  Avenue.  This  office  will  be  equipped  with  a  modern  high- 
speed Goss  press,  forty  feet  long,  nine  feet  wide  and  nine  feet  high. 
This  great  press  will  print  newspapers  from  two  to  sixteen  pages 
at  the  rate  of  72,000  copies  per  hour. 

The  Tribune  also  operates  type-casting  machines  which  cast 
individual  type  and  rule. 


To  THE  TEACHEK. 
Some  technical  information  about  the  printing  of  newspapers. 

Modern  typesetting  machines  have  revolutionized  our  news- 
paper offices  of  to-day. 

Formerly,  each  letter  was  picked  up  separately  and  placed  in  a 
stick,  made  to  hold  the  type. 

The  linotype  machine  gets  its  name  because  it  casts  a  line  of 
type  in  one  single  slug. 

An  operator  sits  in  front  of  a  keyboard,  each  key  being  a  letter 
and  operated  similar  to  the  typewriter. 

As  the  operator  presses  down  on  the  keys  he  causes  the  mechan- 
ism of  the  linotype  to  form  the  letters  out  of  molten  metal,  a  whole 
line  at  a  time  and  drops  the  line  into  place  in  a  form,  or  stick  as 
the  printer  calls  it,  which  is  made  to  hold  these  lines. 

After  a  great  many  lines  are  done,  they  print  a  proof,  to  see  if 
the  spelling  is  correct.  It  is  quite  necessary  that  the  printer  be  a 
good  speller. 

If  the  proof-reader  finds  a  mistake,  then  the  whole  line  must  be 
re-cast. 

After  the  whole  page  of  news,  illustrations,  and  advertising 
matter  has  been  made  up,  (each  page  being  made  up  on  a  separate 
table)  it  is  then  taken  to  the  sterotyping  department.  Here  a  papier- 
-mache  mold  is  made  of  the  pages.  It  is  then  placed  in  a  curved 
casting  machine.  Metal  in  liquid  form  is  then  poured  into  the  mold. 
After  being  cooled  and  trimmed,  it  is  ready  for  the  rotary  printing 
press. 

The  paper  passes  between  rollers,  ink  being  supplied  for  the 
plates  and  the  printed  page  is  the  result. 

The  paper  comes  in  large  rolls,  about  800  to  1,000  Ibs.  to  a  roll. 
Each  roll  will  print  0,000  eight-page  papers. 


50 THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 

Large  presses  have  three  or  four  large  rolls  running  at  the  same 
time  and  produce  a  24  or  48  page  newspaper. 

All  the  hardened  metal  that  is  used  in  the  makeup  of  the  paper 
is  put  back  into  a  pot  and  re-melted  for  the  next  day's  use. 


SOUTH  BEND  NEWS-TIMES. 

In  1853,  the  St.  Joseph  County  Forum  began  publication.  This 
was  the  paper  of  the  Democratic  party.  It  was  edited  by  A.  E. 
Drapier  and  Son.  It  did  not  succeed  and  was  discontinued  in  1863. 

After  the  war,  it  was  purchased  by  Edward  Malloy,  and  its  name 
was  changed  to  "South  Bend  Weekly  Union."  In  1874,  its  name  be- 
came the  "Herald."  In  1881,  the  name  was  again  changed,  this  time 
its  name  being  the  "South  Bend  Times."  You  see,  each  new  owner 
wished  to  give  what  he  thought  would  be  a  better  name  for  the 
paper. 

In  1883,  Mr.  J.  B.  Stoll  became  the  chief  owner  and  editor.  The 
democrats  of  the  county  were  well  satisfied  with  the  conduct  of  the 
paper  under  Mr.  StolPs  able  leadership. 

In  1911,  the  Sunday  Morning  News,  with  G.  A.  Fassett  as  editor, 
was  consolidated  with  the  Times  Printing  Company  and  the  name 
became  "South  Bend  News-Times."  It  still  retains  this  name. 

This  printing  office  is  equipped  with  modern  typesetting  ma- 
chines and  printing  presses,  such  as  are  now  used  by  all  up-to-date 
newspapers. 


CHAPTER  X 


SOUTH  BEND  IN  TIME  OF  WAR 

To  the  Teacher: — Bring  out  the  most  interesting  details  in  this 
Chapter. 

SOUTH  BEND'S  WAR  RECORD. 
IN  THE  CIVIL  WAR. 

The  years  1861-1865,  American  loyalty  received  a  severe  test. 
Hundreds  of  South  Bend's  citizens  gave  up  their  lives  on  southern 
battlefields  and  many  received  great  honors  in  the  struggle. 

President's  Lincoln's  first  call  for  volunteers  was  for  three 
months'  service.  He  felt  sure  that  the  rebellion  could  be  put  down 
in  a  short  time. 

Our  first  company  was  organized  in  1861,  with  Andrew  Ander- 
son as  captain,  and  the  regiment,  of  which  this  was  a  part,  was  the 
first  to  leave  the  state.  Ten  or  more  companies  were  recruited  from 
this  city. 

1866 — As  an  expression  of  appreciation  of  their  services  to  their 
flag  and  country,  a  picnic  and  reception  was  given  the  returned 
soldiers  in  Coquillard  (".rove,  on  the  Edwardsburg  Road,  northeast 
of  the  city. 

These  veterans  who  went  forth  to  light  for  the  Union  are  organ- 
ized into  two  posts  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  the  Auten 
Post  and  Norman  G.  Eddy  Post.  John  Auten  was  the  first  South 
Bend  boy  to  give  his  life  in  the  Civil  War.  Norman  G.  Eddy  was 
Colonel  in  command  of  the  Forty-eighth  Indiana  regiment. 

The  lasting  patriotism  of  these  men  is  demonstrated  on  all  pub- 
lic occasions,  and  particularly  on  Memorial  Day,  when  beautiful  and 
patriotic  ceremonies  are  conducted  at  the  city  cemetery  in  which 
they  take  a  prominent  part. 

Every  boy  and  girl  has  an  opportunity  to  show  his  appreciation 
of  these  heroes  on  Memorial  Day  and  should  not  fail  to  do  so. 


52 THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 

SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAH. 
1898. 

When  Spain  mistreated  little  Cuba  so  mercilessly  and  refused  to 
stop,  our  people  were  very  sympathetic  toward  Cuba  and  indignant 
toward  Spain.  When  our  battleship,  the  Maine,  was  blown  up,  and 
we  believed  that  Spain  had  done  it,  our  people  could  no  longer  be 
restrained.  They  clamored  for  a  war;  a  war  that  would  demon- 
strate our  pity  for  Cuba  and  revenge  for  ourselves.  And  in  due  time 
war  was  declared. 

Hundreds  of  South  Bend's  boys  responded  to  the  call  of  Presi- 
dent McKinley  to  protect  the  rights  of  American  ships  and  citizens. 

Our  local  company  of  the  State  Militia  was  the  nucleus  of  a 
regiment  which  left  South  Bend,  with  George  E.  Studebaker  as 
Colonel.  This  regiment  was  encamped  in  Florida,  ready  to  sail  at  a 
moment's  notice,  but  before  the  opportunity  arrived,  peace  was  de- 
clared. 

The  troops  were  demobilized  and  like  true  Americans  returned 
to  their  homes  and  went  on  about  their  various  businesses.  Each 
enlisted  man  had  demonstrated  his  loyalty  to  his  flag  and  his  coun- 
try, and  his  country  had  performed  a  great  and  unselfish  service  for 
humanity. 


THE  WORLD  WAR. 
1914. 

When  Germany  marched  her  soldiers  across  Belgium  on  her 
way  to  Paris,  the  whole  world  was  disturbed  over  the  violation  of 
Belgium's  rights. 

The  patriotism  of  many  of  South  Bend's  boys  was  aroused  and 
a  number  enlisted  for  service  with  Canadian  and  French  regiments. 

1917 

Jn  April,  1917,  President  Wilson  issued  his  call  for  volunteers, 
and  South  Bend  responded  with  her  full  share. 

Never  before  was  the  patriotism  of  our  people  put  to  such  a 
severe  test  as  in  this  war.  Never  before  had  such  cruel  methods 
of  warfare  or  such  devilish  machines  been  used, — the  gigantic  can- 
nons, undersea  boats,  explosive  mines,  tanks,  and  other  deadly 
apparatus  held  life  as  nothing.  Then  too,  there  was  the  danger  of 
crossing  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  and  lighting  in  foreign  lands. 

Our  country  had  over  two  and  a  half  million  men  over  there 


THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND      _53 

to  finish  the  job.    South  Bend  was  well  represented;  in  fact,  a  South 
Bend  man,  Alex  Arch,  fired  the  first  American  shot. 

Many,  alas,  never  came  back,  having  fallen  on  the  battlefields 
of  France,  at  the  Marne,  the  Argonne  Forest,  or  elsewhere.  Many 
also  died  of  disease  in  hospitals  at  home  and  "over  there." 

In  this  greatest  of  wars,  our  country,  our  own  United  States, 
did  its  best.  South  Bend  did  its  best.  Our  people  responded 
patriotically  to  every  call  made  upon  them.  Men,  women  and  chil- 
dren gave  gladly  their  services  and  their  money.  This  spirit 
undoubtedly  saved  the  world  from  an  awful  calamity. 

Best  of  all,  our  nation  came  out  of  the  war  with  a  perfect  record 
for  honesty  and  uprightness.  What  an  honor  to  be  an  American. 


CHAPTER  XI 
SOUTH  BEND'S  WATER  SUPPLY 

IN  THE  EARLY  DAYS 

Years  ago,  every  family  had  a  deep-driven  well  in  the  yard  for 
drinking  purposes,  also  a  cistern  of  rainwater  for  household  use. 

If  a  house  caught  on  fire,  every  man  in  the  village  turned  out  to 
help  put  out  the  fire.  They  formed  what  was  called  a  "bucket 
brigade;"  this  was  done  by  having  one  man  at  the  pump,  filling  the 
buckets  and  passing  them  along  a  line  of  men  (and  often  times 
women  were  called  on  to  help)  till  the  bucket  reached  the  man  on 
the  ladder  or  on  the  roof. 

Often  times  the  fires  did  a  great  deal  of  damage  before  help  was 
received. 


GROWTH  OF  THE  VOLUNTEER  FIRE  DEPARTMENT 

In  1855,  the  Volunteer  Fire  Department  was  organized.  They 
had  a  hand  engine  as  their  only  equipment. 

The  fire  department  was  the  pride  of  the  town,  and  on  all  holi- 
days the  men  appeared  in  natty  uniforms,  their  machines  decorated 
with  flowers,  banners,  and  ribbons. 

Edmond  Pitts  Taylor,  brother  of  Lathrop  M.  Taylor,  was  the 
first  fire  foreman,  the  members  of  the  company  were  merchants, 
manufacturers,  and  mechanics  of  the  town. 

In  1868,  a  steam  fire-engine  was  purchased. 

In  1873,  the  Volunteer  Fire  Department  was  re-organized  with 
Capt.  Edwin  Nicar  as  chief  engineer.  This  department  finally  grew 
to  seven  companies  with  Isaac  Hutchins  as  chief. 


THE  RAISING  OF  THE  STANDPIPE 
7873 

About  this  time,  it  was  decided  that  a  pressure  system  of  water- 
supply  was  needed  in  South  Bend. 

There  were  a  great  many  arguments  for  and  against  the  stand- 
pipe,  the  Holly  and  the  Reservoir  system.  It  was  finally  decided  to 
install  the  standpipe  system  and  the  contract  was  let  to  Mr.  Alex- 
ander Staples. 


THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 55 

The  raising  of  the  standpipe  was  a  wonderful  engineering  feat. 
It  was  reported  in  the  cities  all  over  this  country  and  Europe. 

The  two  hundred  feet  of  the  pipe  were  placed  in  position  at 
one  time,  all  the  sections  having  been  fastened  together  and  made 
water  tight  while  lying  on  the  ground.  This  was  fastened  onto  a 
base  casting,  weighing  seven  and  one-half  tons. 

It  was  impossible  to  buy  pulleys  large  enough  to  serve  the  pur- 
pose of  placing  the  pipe  in  position,  so  Mr.  Staples  set  to  work  and 
made  them  himself. 

They  began  the  raising  of  the  pipe  November  15,  1873  and  by 
Christmas  Day  the  work  was  completed,  and  the  river  water  turned 
in  and  made  ready  for  the  power  test. 

The  brick  walls  surrounding  the  pipe  were  built  the  following 
year.  

THE  STORY  OF  THE  BOB-TAILED  Cow 
1873 

Mr.  J.  M.  Studebaker  and  Mr.  Leighton  Pine,  two  of  our  young 
business  men  of  the  olden  time  had  many  a  heated  argument  over 
the  value  of  the  two  pressure  systems. 

It  was  one  of  these  heated  arguments  which  resulted  in  the  story 
of  the  bob-tailed  cow. 

Mr.  Pine,  "I  tell  you,  the  standpipe  system  is  the  only  one  that 
will  give  us  water  pressure." 

Mr.  Studebaker,  "Pressure,  indeed!  Why,  I'll  bet  you  can't  get 
pressure  enough  to  drive  me  from  the  tower  of  my  building." 

Mr.  P.,  "I'll  take  the  bet.    What  will  you  bet?" 

Mr.  S.,  "Why,  I'll  bet  you  a  cow." 

When  the  day  arrived  to  test  the  pressure,  the  whole  town  turned 
out  to  see  the  test. 

It  was  a  beautiful  Christmas  Day,  so  warm  that  the  men  folks 
sat  out  in  the  yard  without  their  coats.  And  it  is  said  that  one  of 
our  prominent  ladies  of  the  town  went  down  the  street  carrying  a 
parasol. 

Mr.  Studebaker  took  his  place  in  the  tower.  Mr.  Edwin  Nicar, 
John  C.  Knoblock  and  Caleb  Kimball  were  chosen  as  judges  to 
decide  the  test.  Schuyler  Colfax  also  stood  in  the  tower  with  Mr. 
Studebaker. 

The  fire  department  appeared  down  the  street  and  attaching  the 
hose  to  the  hydrant,  quickly  turned  it  on  the  tower. 

Mr.  Studebaker  realized  the  full  force  of  the  water  and  quickly 
descended  amidst  the  cheers  and  laughter  of  the  crowd. 


THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 


Mr.  Studebaker  presented  the  cow  to  Mr.  Pine  as  payment  of  the 
wager. 

Mr.  Pine  decided  to  sell  the  cow  at  public  auction  and  give  the 
money  to  the  poor.  Mr.  John  Hartman,  who  had  a  wonderful  voice, 
was  called  upon  to  be  the  auctioneer. 

The  cow  was  sold  several  times,  each  time  the  money  being 
turned  over  to  charity.  Three  hundred  dollars  were  realized  on 
the  sale  of  the  cow. 

The  cow  was  elaborately  decorated  with  ribbons  from  head  to 
tail  and  hereby  hangs  the  most  amusing  part  of  my  story. 

As  the  last  buyer  was  leading  the  cow  away,  Mr.  Bleem,  a 
butcher,  rushed  after  it  with  a  huge  knife  and  cut  off  its  tail. 

The  crowd  became  indignant  and  chased  the  butcher  down  the 
street.  He  dropped  the  tail  and  it  was  quickly  picked  up  by  the 
crowd. 

They  then  discovered  that  the  cow  was  a  bob-tailed  animal  and 
the  tail  had  been  fastened  on  for  a  joke. 

The  crowd's  anger  gave  place  to  laughter.  The  tail  was  then  put 
up  at  auction  and  after  being  sold  several  times,  they  found  that  it 
had  brought  in  forty-five  dollars  for  charity. 

In  justice  to  Mr.  Studebaker  and  his  belief  in  the  Holly  system  of 
water  pressure,  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  he  lived  to  see  the  day 
when  the  standpipe  was  replaced  by  the  reservoir  holding  six  mil- 
lion gallons  of  water.  This  reservoir  is  located  just  east  of  the  North 
Pumping  Station  on  North  Michigan  Street. 

It  is  fed  from  one  hundred  deep  driven  wells  of  pure  sparkling 
water.  (1920).  The  standpipe  continues  to  furnish  a  part  of  the 
water  pressure  of  the  city. 


SOUTH  BEND'S  FIRE  DEPARTMENT 
1920 

South  Bend's  present  Fire  Department  consists  of  nine  com- 
panies and  a  central  station,  equipped  with  a  chemical,  two  trucks, 
(one  service  and  one  aerial)  also  the  hose  and  pumper.  Can  you 
tell  the  various  uses  of  this  equipment? 

The  horse  drawn  fire  apparatus  has  rapidly  been  replaced  by 
motor  driven  vehicles. 

The  chief  and  all  members  of  the  department  are  now  paid  for 
their  services. 

The  department  has  a  Fireman's  Pension  Fund. 


CHAPTER  XII 


HISTORY  OF  THE  FORMS  OF  GOVERNMENT  OF  SOUTH  BEND 

Lathrop  Minor  Taylor  and  Alexis  Coquillard  purchased  from  the 
government  the  land  upon  which  they  laid  out  the  new  town  at  the 
south  bend  of  the  river,  and  by  their  united  efforts,  they  had  suc- 
ceeded in  causing  the  removal  of  the  county  seat  to  the  town  thus 
established. 

For  several  years  the  sessions  of  the  circuit  court,  the  board  of 
justices  and  the  board  of  commissioners  were  held  at  the  home  of 
Alexis  Coquillard. 

In  1835,  the  county  commissioners  called  a  meeting  for  the  pur- 
pose of  electing  town  trustees.  This  was  the  first  step  toward  the 
incorporation  of  the  town.  The  trustees  were  elected  and  Horatio 
Chapin  was  chosen  as  the  first  president  of  the  board. 

There  was  not  much  business  to  transact  and  the  trustees  did  not 
have  many  meetings.  New  elections  were  neglected  so  that  in 
1844,  it  was  thought  best  to  apply  to  the  legislature  for  a  special 
charter. 

With  the  panic  of  1837  over,  the  Michigan  road  bringing 
new  people  to  our  town  and  the  boats  of  the  St.  Joseph  bringing  here 
the  commerce  of  the  lakes,  the  need  for  a  regular  form  of  govern- 
ment was  realized. 

The  charter  was  granted,  and  town  trustees  elected.  John 
Brownfield  was  chosen  as  the  president. 

Town  trustees  with  a  president  as  the  chief  oflicer  continued 
until  1865,  when  South  Bend  was  incorporated  as  a  city.  William 
(i.  George  was  the  first  mayor. 

The  city  was  divided  into  three  wards  at  lirst.  With  the  addi- 
tion of  territory  on  all  sides  of  the  city,  it  has  been  necessary  to 
change  the  number  from  time  to  time,  until  at  present  South  Bend  is 
divided  into  seven  wards.  Each  ward  is  represented  in  the  City 
Council  by  one  representative,  and  we  have  three  additional  coun- 
cilmen  elected  by  the  city  at  large. 

The  city  has  continued  to  grow  in  business,  in  civic  development 
and  in  population.  In  1831  the  population  was  128;  in  1840  it  had 


58 THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 

increased  to  728;  in  I860,  3,833;  in  1900,  35,999.    The  population  for 
1920  is  close  to  75,000. 

In  1901,  by  an  act  of  the  legislature  South  Bend  was  given  a 
special  charter.  The  chief  purpose  was  to  separate  the  powers  of 
government  into  three  departments — legislative,  administrative  and 
judicial.  This  form  of  government  is  more  modern  and  fits  the 
needs  of  a  growing  city. 

The  legislative,  or  law-making  department  was  the  common 
council;  the  administrative  powers  were  confided  to  the  mayor  and 
several  officers  and  boards  to  be  appointed  by  him;  the  judicial 
department  was  placed  in  a  court,  presided  over  by  a  city  judge. 

A  Municipal  Code  or  uniform  code  of  laws  was  enacted  in  1905. 
Under  this  code  cities  were  classified  according  to  population,  and 
the  laws  made,  conform  with  the  population.  South  Bend  is  a  city 
of  the  third  class. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

SOME  OF  THE  INDUSTRIES  OF  SOUTH  BEND 
AND  MEN  WHO  MADE  THEM 

INTRODUCTION  TO  INDUSTRIES 

South  Bend  is  strictly  speaking  a  manufacturing  city.  It  is 
quite  impossible  to  give  an  account  of  every  industry.  Each  year 
some  new  industry  is  organized  and  almost  every  variety  of  manu- 
factured article  is  produced  here  either  on  a  large  or  small  scale. 

We  have  tried  to  give  you  a  few  of  the  larger  typical  ones. 


THK  STUDKBAKKH  CORPORATION 

The  Studebaker  family  is  of  Dutch  origin,  having  arrived  in  this 
country  from  Holland  in  173(5.  The  members  decided  to  make  their 
homes  in  Pennsylvania. 

Here  they  lived  and  raised  their  families.  The  third  generation 
after  these  lirst  arrivals  are  the  ones  in  which  we  are  interested. 
These  were  the  sons  of  John  and  Rebecca  Studebaker. 

There  were  many  wagon-makers  and  blacksmiths  in  each  gen- 
eration of  the  Studebaker  family. 

In  1835  John  Studebaker  decided  to  come  west  and  grow  up 
with  the  country.  They  made  the  trip  overland  in  three  wagons,  one 
of  them  being  of  Conestoga  pattern  drawn  by  four  horses. 

This  was  a  very  diflicult  way  of  travelling.  There  were  few 
roads,  and  they  were  usually  deep  with  mud,  winding  through  the 
wilderness  of  forest  and  prairie.  In  some  places  there  were  mere 
Indian  trails,  and  they  had  to  get  out  and  chop  down  the  trees,  so 
that  the  covered  wagons  could  pass. 

There  were  few  bridges,  so  many  streams  had  to  be  forded. 

There  was  also  danger  of  attacks  by  wolves;  drink-crazed 
Indians  also  added  to  the  perils  and  sufferings  of  the  travellers  but 
they  finally  arrived  and  settled  at  Ashland,  Ohio. 

They  had  to  work  very  hard  to  make  a  living,  as  there  were  ten 


60        THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 


children  to  be  fed  and  clothed.    The  mother  had  to  spin,  and  weave 
the  cloth  to  make  the  clothes  for  the  family. 

In  1850  Henry  and  Clem  decided  to  start  out  in  business.  They 
came  to  South  Bend,  again  enduring  many  of  the  hardships  of  the 
pioneer  traveller.  Clem  taught  school  and  also  worked  at  black- 
smithing  at  fifty  cents  a  day.  They  soon  had  saved  sixty-eight  dol- 
lars and  enough  more  to  buy  two  forges.  So  in  1852  they  started 
in  business,  blacksmithing  and  wagon-making.  They  had  a  hard 
time  making  a  success,  but  finally  their  brother  John  returned  from 
California,  with  $8,000  in  gold  nuggets  which  he  had  earned.  He 
bought  out  his  brother  Henry,  who  preferred  to  live  on  a  farm.  Later 
another  brother,  Peter  E.  came  from  Goshen  to  become  a  member 
of  the  firm. 

During  the  Civil  War,  the  government  had  need  of  many 
wagons,  and  the  Studebaker  Bros,  turned  out  the  best  of  its  kind  for 
the  government.  This  won  for  them  a  reputation  that  assured  the 
future  prosperity  of  the  firm. 

Being  the  world's  largest  producers  of  horse-drawn  vehicles,  it 
was  natural  for  them  to  become  interested  in  the  horseless  carriages, 
as  automobiles  were  at  first  called. 

In  1902  they  built  and  sold  twenty  electric  run-abouts  and 
trucks.  In  1904  they  began  building  gasoline  automobiles  and  trucks. 

The  business  increased  so  rapidly  that  now  it  is  one  of  the 
largest  in  the  world. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  World  War  in  August,  1914,  the  English 
Government  placed  an  order  for  three  thousand  transport  wagons, 
twenty  thousand  sets  of  harness  and  sixty  thousand  saddles.  This 
was  probably  the  largest  single  order  ever  placed. 

The  contract  called  for  delivery  in  twenty  weeks,  and  it  was 
actually  completed  in  sixteen  weeks.  Orders  followed  for  ambu- 
lancs,  drinking  wagons,  spare  parts,  and  repeat  orders  on  harness 
and  saddles.  Orders  were  also  received  from  the  French  and  Rus- 
sian governments. 

When  the  United  States  entered  the  war,  the  Studebaker  Cor- 
poration placed  its  plants  at  the  disposal  of  President  Wilson.  They 
reduced  the  manufacture  of  passenger  cars  in  order  to  serve  the 
government  in  the  largest  possible  way. 

All  of  the  founders  of  this  great  manufacturing  establishment 
have  passed  away.  The  business  continues  to  grow  under  the  able 
leadership  of  the  officers  of  the  corporation. 

The    Studebaker    Corporation    built    and    equipped    the    Young 


THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND        61 


Men's  Christian  Association  building  and  presented  it  to  the  city. 

A  set  of  slides,  furnished  by  the  Studebaker  Corporation  for  the 
use  of  the  schools  may  be  borrowed  from  the  Superintendent's  office. 


JAMES  OLIVER 
OLIVER  CHILLED  PLOW  WORKS 

In  every  country  where  the  soil  is  turned  the  word  "Oliver"  is 
known  and  the  Oliver  plow  is  sold  and  used. 

The  Oliver  Chilled  Plow  Works  is  the  largest  plow  factory  in 
the  world,  turning  out  annually  between  500,000  and  1,000,000 
implements. 

Mr.  James  Oliver,  the  founder,  was  born  in  Scotland,  on  August 
28th,  1823.  He  came  to  America  at  the  early  age  of  twelve  years.  A 
year  later  he  located  in  Mishawaka,  Indiana,  then  a  thriving  little 
town,  made  so  by  the  discovery  of  bog-iron  in  the  vicinity.  After 
one  year's  schooling  Mr.  Oliver  was  obliged  to  stop  and  go  to  work 
to  support  his  mother.  His  earnings  averaged  about  six  dollars  per 
month,  five  dollars  of  which  were  given  to  his  mother. 

At  seventeen  he  began  an  active  business  career.  He  undertook 
a  contract  to  dig  a  trench  for  laying  pump  logs  to  carry  water  from 
a  brook  through  Vistula  Avenue  to  the  race.  He  next  worked  in  a 
cooper  shop  where  they  turned  out  eleven  barrels  a  day.  While  at 
work  in  this  shop  he  got  his  own  timber  and  shaved  his  own  staves. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one,  he  obtained  employment  at  the  St. 
Joseph  Iron  Works  at  Mishawaka,  where  he  thoroughly  learned  the 
foundry  business.  This  foundry  was  not  entirely  to  Mr.  Oliver's 
liking.  For  this  reason  he  decided  to  seek  employment  elsewhere. 
He  decided  to  go  to  Goshen.  To  go  there  he  walked  to  South  Bend 
to  take  the  train.  While  waiting  at  the  station  he  met  a  Mr.  Lamb 
who  was  interested  in  a  small  foundry  business.  Mr.  Lamb  proposed 
to  Mr.  Oliver  that  he  go  in  business  with  him.  After  considering  the 
question  Mr.  Oliver  decided  to  purchase  an  interest  in  the  business. 
This  was  Mr.  Oliver's  first  business  venture  in  South  Bend  and  from 
that  humble  beginning  the  great  establishment  of  the  present  day 
has  grown.  It  was  located  on  the  site  of  the  Oliver  Water  Power 
Plant  on  Mill  Street. 

In  a  few  years  Mr.  Oliver  bought  the  entire  stock  and  soon  after 
was  given  the  contract  for  supplying  the  iron  columns,  sills  and  caps 
for  the  St.  Joseph  Hotel,  which  was  located  where  the  Oliver  Hotel 
now  stands. 


62        THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 


The  invention  of  chilled  metal  marked  the  turning  point  in  the 
Oliver  fortunes.  Do  you  know  what  chilled  iron  is? 

Chilled  iron  is  a  very  hard  metal  which  withstands  better  than 
any  other  metal  the  scratching  of  sand  and  other  hard  substances 
in  the  soil.  The  moulders  pour  the  melted  iron  into  moulds  com- 
prised of  a  hollow  metal  retainer  on  the  underside  and  sand  on  the 
top.  The  space  between  the  top,  or  cope,  and  the  under  part,  or  the 
chill,  is  hollow  and  the  shape  of  the  mouldboard,  or  other  part  to  be 
made.  Steam  or  hot  water  is  turned  into  the  hollow  retainers  so 
as  to  warm  them  thoroughly  before  the  molten  iron  is  poured.  The 
iron  being  much  hotter  than  the  chill  changes  the  form  of  crystal- 
lization of  the  metal  so  that  the  iron  crystallizes  crosswise  of  the 
length  of  the  board. 

(See  samples  of  chilled  iron.) 

There  were  many  difficulties  encountered  in  making  a  board  of 
this  character.  Mr.  Oliver  worked  for  twelve  years  before  he  suc- 
ceeded in  making  a  plow  that  was  satisfactory  to  him.  This  patient, 
untiring  energy  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Oliver  was  ridiculed  by  his  friends 
and  a  man  with  less  determination  of  purpose  would  have  given  up, 
but  Mr.  Oliver  stuck  to  his  work.  His  life  is  a  wonderful  example 
for  any  boy  who  is  easily  discouraged. 

At  the  time  Mr.  Oliver  began  his  work  on  the  chilled  plow  there 
had  been  no  satisfactory  way  for  farmers,  who  have  gritty  soils,  to 
satisfactorily  plow  them.  Much  of  the  wealth  that  has  come  to 
farmers  with  these  types  of  soils  can  be  credited  primarily  to  Mr. 
Oliver's  patient  work.  A  farmer  must  be  sure  that  he  has  the  right 
kind  of  plow  for  the  soil.  Big  things  always  start  from  little  be- 
ginnings. 

Even  after  Mr.  Oliver  had  succeeded  in  making  a  successful 
plow,  he  was  obliged  to  peddle  his  goods  from  house  to  house  in 
an  ordinary  farm  wagon  drawn  by  horses.  At  the  start  he  had  great 
difficulty  in  getting  farmers  to  purchase  his  plows,  but  after  farmers 
once  saw  the  great  value  of  his  plow  Mr.  Oliver's  future  was  certain. 

Many  a  man  would  have  given  up  in  despair,  even  after  he  had 
made  a  success  of  the  invention  when  he  found  it  was  going  to  be 
hard  to  introduce  the  article.  The  same  indomitable  will  that  char- 
acterized his  long  endeavor  kept  him  from  giving  up  when  he  saw 
it  would  be  difficult  to  induce  farmers  to  use  his  plow. 

This  formative  period  of  the  Oliver  Chilled  Plow  Works  is  a 
bright  and  shining  example  of  what  young  man  can  do  if  he  sets 
about  doing  something  useful  and  making  a  success  of  it.  That  old 
adage,  "nothing  worth  while  comes  easy"  is  vividly  illustrated  in 
the  early  history  of  this  great  Plow  Works. 


THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND        63 


Mr.  James  Oliver  died  March  2,  1908,  leaving  the  plow  business 
under  the  efficient  management  of  his  son,  J.  D.  Oliver,  and  family. 

It  has  always  been  the  policy  of  the  Oliver  Chilled  Plow  Works 
to  spend  its  efforts  in  improving  its  implements  to  lessen  farm  labor 
and  make  farms  more  productive. 

The  Oliver  Chilled  Plow  Works  has  grown  to  such  proportions 
that  the  plant  occupies  over  a  hundred  acres  and  is  equipped  with 
the  most  modern  machinery  for  building  farm  implements  that 
inventive  genius  can  devise.  It  takes  but  a  few  moments  to  bend  a 
plow  beam.  Wrere  it  not  for  these  conveniences  of  manufacture 
farmers  would  be  obliged  to  pay  many  times  the  price  that  they 
now  pay  for  their  plows. 

The  plow  is  the  iirst  implement  used  in  preparing  the  ground 
for  growing  plants.  It  is  the  foundation  upon  which  the  crop 
depends.  It  bears  the  same  relation  to  the  growing  of  plants  that 
the  foundation  does  to  a  house.  Unless  the  foundation  is  well  laid 
the  most  beautiful  house  settles  out  of  shape. 

The  value  of  a  manufacturing  establishment  that  makes  such 
necessary  tools  as  plows  is  seldom  measured  in  its  true  worth  by 
any  class  of  people  except  those  who  use  them.  The  city  of  South 
Bend  has  become  world  famed  through  the  distribution  of  Oliver 
Chilled  plows. 

For  this  reason  whenever  a  resident  of  South  Bend  goes  any 
place  in  the  world  his  town  is  immediately  known  by  the  reputation 
acquired  on  account  of  the  necessary  implements  of  agriculture 
made  by  the  Oliver  Chilled  Plow  Works.  The  sun  never  sets  on 
Oliver  Chilled  Plows  or  the  name  of  the  city  where  they  are  made. 

This  plant  gives  permanent  employment  to  several  thousand 
men  and  when  the  new  plant  now  being  built  is  ready  for  occupancy 
many  more  men  will  be  needed. 

This  is  a  bright  outlook  for  the  young  men,  particularly  the 
growing  boys  of  South  Bend  because  it  will  give  them  an  oppor- 
tunity to  find  employment  without  leaving  their  home  town. 

Mr.  Joseph  D.  Oliver,  the  President,  states  that  the  Oliver  plant 
needs  particularly  men  and  boys  who  have  suilicient  schooling  to 
make  them  think  and  act  for  themselves  in  the  various  operations  of 
building  and  distributing  of  the  Oliver  product.  This  is  an  incentive 
for  every  boy  in  South  Bend  to  strive  for  all  the  learning  he  can 
possibly  secure  while  he  is  in  the  public  schools. 

Oliver  Hotel  and  Opera  House  are  memorials  to  the  name  of 
Oliver.  Oliver  School  is  located  on  land  originally  a  part  of  the 
Oliver  farm. 


64 THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 

AVAILABLE  FOR  USE  OF  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS. 

1.  A  set  of  slides  showing  the  operations  of  the  manufacture 
of  the  Oliver  plow. 

2.  Moving  picture  film  showing  the  plow  turning  the  soil — (re- 
lating to  the  saving  of  moisture). 

3.  Slides  showing  seed  bed  preparation. 

4.  Samples  of  chilled  metal. 


BIRDSELL  MANUFACTURING  COMPANY. 

The  Birdsell  Clover  Huller  was  invented  and  perfected  by  John 
Comly  Birdsell,  Sr.,  while  he  was  engaged  in  farming  in  the  state  of 
New  York. 

New  York  is  a  great  clover  country,  and  Mr.  Birdsell  saw  the 
waste  of  seed  when  threshed  by  the  old  method.  This  set  him  to 
thinking  and  the  invention  in  1855  of  the  clover  huller  was  the 
result. 

In  1864,  he  came  to  South  Bend,  and  began  their  manufacture. 
With  the  assistance  of  his  sons,  (Joseph  B.,  Byron  A.,  Varnum  0., 
and  John  C.)  the  industry  has  grown  and  developed  into  an  inter- 
national business. 

The  clover  huller  is  used  in  every  civilized  country  in  the 
world. 

In  1884,  the  company  began  the  manufacture  of  farm  wagons 
with  almost  the  same  success  as  with  the  clover  huller. 


THE  SINGER  MANUFACTURING  COMPANY. 

In  1868  the  Singer  Sewing  Machine  Co.  of  New  Jersey,  through 
their  representative,  Mr.  Leighton  Pine,  established  a  branch  of  its 
plant  in  South  Bend. 

This  place  was  chosen  as  a  suitable  location  on  account  of  the 
vast  amount  of  hardwood,  such  as  oak,  walnut  and  maple  in  the 
vicinity  and  which  were  used  in  making  the  cabinet  work. 

With  the  assistance  of  the  Hon.  William  Miller,  land  on  the  east 
side  of  the  river  was  purchased  by  the  Company  for  a  factory  site. 
It  was  necessary  to  offer  a  number  of  inducements  to  get  the  factory 
located  in  South  Bend,  as  Mishawaka  was  anxious  to  have  the  plant 
located  at  that  point. 

This  factory,  which  was  established  at  first  for  the  sole  purpose 
of  making  the  cabinets  for  the  machines,  soon  outgrew  its  quarters. 


THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 65 

The  Company  was,  therefore,  compelled  to  secure  another  place  to 
build  a  larger  factory.  This  matter  was  attended  to  in  due  time,  a 
tract  of  land  being  purchased  at  Olive  and  Division  Streets  in  the 
west  end  of  the  city,  and  in  1902  the  present  extensive  buildings 
were  completed  in  which  to  produce  cabinet  work  to  meet  the 
greatly  increased  demand. 

In  the  new  factory  a  large  foundry,  japanning  and  machining 
departments  were  added  for  making  the  castings  for  the  stands  used 
on  family  machines,  also  castings  for  the  stands  used  in  factories  for 
power  driven  sewing  machines. 

In  these  works  are  constructed  all  the  cases  and  elaborate  cabi- 
net work  of  over  three-fourths  of  all  the  sewing  machines  in  the 
world.  The  daily  output  is,  consequently,  the  largest  of  any  manu- 
facturing establishment  of  its  kind. 

Over  one-half  of  this  cabinet  work  is  packed  in  boxes  in  the 
unfinished  state  and  shipped  to  the  Singer  Co.'s  European  factories, 
the  principal  one  being  in  Scotland,  where  the  final  staining  and 
varnishing  operations  are  completed.  There  are  about  15,000  work- 
ers in  the  Scotland  plant. 

Part  of  the  finished  cabinets  are  shipped  to  the  factory  in  New 
Jersey,  where  the  sewing  machines  are  mounted  and  crated;  and  in 
turn  sewing  machines  from  the  factory  in  New  Jersey  are  shipped 
to  South  Bend,  where  they  are  assembled  to  cabinet  work  and  stands 
and  crated  for  shipment  throughout  the  United  States,  also  carefully 
packed  in  boxes  for  shipment  to  China,  Japan  and  the  Philippine 
Islands. 

Interesting  facts  in  connection  with  the  Singer  Co.  and  the 
South  Bend  plant  are  given  below: 

Number  of  employees — about  3,000. 

Total  ground  space — 70  acres. 

Total  floor  area  of  buildings— 1,350,000  sq.  ft. 

Total  length  of  buildings,  if  they  were  placed  end  to  end — 8,040 
ft.  (over  1  %  miles). 

Total  length  of  floors,  if  they  were  placed  end  to  end — 19,620  ft. 
(over  3Va  miles). 

Railroad  track  inside  of  grounds — 5  miles. 

Power  plant — Two  4,000  horsepower  Turbine  Electric  Genera- 
tors; one  400  horsepower  Turbine  Electric  Generators;  one  100 
horsepower  Turbine  Electric  Generator;  six  250  horsepower  Boilers. 

There  are  27  kilns  for  drying  lumber,  having  a  total  capacity  of 
about  2,000,000  ft.  of  lumber  at  one  time. 

750,000  ft.  of  the  finest  hardwood  lumber  is  used  each  week  in 
making  cabinet  work. 


66 THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 

Present  yearly  output,  over  2,000,000  sets  of  cabinets. 

There  are  over  600  varieties  of  sewing  machines  made  by  the 
Singer  Co.,  sewing  everything  from  the  finest  art  embroidery  to  sail 
cloth  and  harness. 

The  products  of  the  Singer  Sewing  Machine  Co.  are  known  and 
distributed  not  only  throughout  every  civilized  nation  of  the  world, 
but  also  the  Land  of  the  Midnight  Sun,  the  jungles  of  India,  the 
islands  of  the  seas,  the  deserts  of  Africa,  and  the  ancient  land  of  the 
Egyptians. 

Samples  of  seven  varieties  of  woods,  (in  finished  and  unfinished 
condition)  used  in  the  manufacture  of  Singer  Sewing  Machines  may 
be  drawn  from  the  Supt.'s  office.  These  have  been  furnished  by  the 
Company. 


O'BRIEN  VARNISH  COMPANY. 

The  O'Brien  Varnish  Company  was  established  in  1878.  Mr. 
Patrick  O'Brien  was  the  sole  owner.  Later,  his  sons,  Mr.  W.  D. 
O'Brien  and  Mr.  George  O'Brien  were  taken  into  partnership  and  are 
continuing  the  very  successful  business. 

Varnishes,  oils,  enamels,  stains,  flat-wall  finishing  and  all  ma- 
terials for  paints  are  made  and  shipped  to  all  parts  of  the  United 
States. 


THE  SOUTH  BEND  TOY  FACTORY 

The  South  Bend  Toy  Factory  was  established  in  1874,  with  John 
W.  Teel  as  President,  and  Frederick  I.  Badet,  Secretary  and  Treas- 
urer. Mr.  Badet  later  bought  Mr.  Teel's  share  and  holds  a  controll- 
ing interest. 

At  that  time,  croquet  was  a  very  fashionable  game,  and  the  only 
game  that  could  be  played  by  respectable  women  and  girls.  Tennis 
and  golf  were  not  considered  proper  for  women  and  girls  at  that 
time. 

Croquet  balls  and  mallets  were  the  chief  article  of  manufacture 
in  the  early  days  of  this  company.  Later,  children's  wagons  were 
manufactured,  followed  by  baseball  bats,  wheel-barrows,  go-carts, 
game-boards,  little  chairs  and  rocking  horses. 

A  band  saw  is  used  to  cut  the  boards  into  all  kinds  of  shapes 
for  use  in  the  various  toys.  Several  boards  are  clamped  together, 
the  pattern  being  drawn  on  the  top  board.  A  man  guides  the  saw 
around  the  pattern  of  a  chair  bottom,  horse  or  whatever  is  being 
shaped. 


THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND        67 


After  the  chairs  are  made  up,  they  are  given  their  first  coat  of 
paint.  How  do  you  suppose  this  is  done?  The  chairs  are  let  down 
by  a  pulley  into  a  great  vat  of  paint.  When  they  are  completely 
covered  with  paint,  they  are  drawn  out  of  the  vat,  and  placed  on  a 
rack  to  drain  and  dry. 

Rocking-horses,  after  their  first  coat  of  paint  has  dried,  are  run 
through  large  printing  presses,  which  print  the  saddles,  and  bridles 
on  them. 

Everything  that  is  made  at  this  factory  is  very  interesting  to 
boys  and  girls. 

Styles  in  toys  and  games  change  like  the  styles  in  other  things; 
and  the  Toy  Factory  aims  to  keep  up  to  date. 

These  works  are  widely  known  in  the  commercial  and  manu- 
facturing world  and  the  trade  of  the  company  extends  throughout 
the  United  States  and  Europe. 

This  is  the  largest  Toy  Factory  of  its  kind  in  the  world. 


THE  SOUTH  BEND  WATCH  COMPANY 

One  of  our  newer  industries  is  the  making  of  watches. 

The  Watch  Company  was  organized  in  1903  by  a  group  of  South 
Bend  men.  Clement  Studebaker,  Jr.,  was  its  first  president  and  up 
to  the  present  time  (1920)  is  still  serving  in  that  capacity. 

This  was  the  first  watch  factory  ever  started  in  Indiana. 

The  South  Bend  watch  is  known  wherever  watches  are  sold  as 
"The  Watch  with  the  Purple  Ribbon,"  and  the  name  "South  Bend" 
on  the  purple  ribbon  is  stretched  across  the  dial.  This  helps  to 
advertize  South  Bend  to  the  outside  world. 

This  company  manufactures  three  styles  of  watches.  The  rail- 
road watch  is  recognized  as  standard  on  every  railroad  system. 

During  the  World  War,  the  United  States  government  purchased 
many  South  Bend  watches  for  use  as  comparing  watches  on  board 
its  ships. 

The  company  has  a  large  modern  factory  and  offices  on  Mish- 
awaka  Avenue.  The  buildings  are  noted  for  their  airiness,  pleasant 
surroundings  and  generally  ideal  conditions  for  workers. 

At  the  present  time  more  than  six  hundred  and  fifty  (650)  peo- 
ple are  enployed. 

Each  year  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  the  watches  has  in- 
creased. 

Every  watch  sold  helps  to  make  the  city  of  South  Bend,  for 
which  each  watch  is  named,  better  known  all  over  the  world. 


CHAPTER  XIV 
EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS 

GROWTH  OF  THE  SCHOOLS 

The  first  school  in  South  Bend  was  built  on  the  northeast  corner 
of  Washington  and  William  Streets,  on  the  site  of  the  present  High 
School.  It  was  called  the  County  Seminary. 

The  land  was  purchased  from  Alexis  Coquillard  in  1841,  for 
one  hundred  fifty-eight  dollars  ($158.00).  Could  you  buy  it  for  that 
sum  now? 

In  1845,  the  newspaper  described  the  building  as  being  situated 
"west  of  town."  Why  did  they  say  that?  This  first  school  con- 
tained two  rooms,  one  above  and  one  below.  This  same  paper 
stated  that  it  was  large  enough  to  "hold  all  the  children  for  many 
years  to  come." 

The  first  principal  was  Mr.  Wheeler,  a  graduate  of  Indiana 
University. 

In  1851,  the  state  decided  to  abandon  the  county  seminaries. 
They  ordered  the  property  sold  and  the  proceeds  turned  over  to  the 
public  school  fund. 

In  1853,  the  seminary  was  turned  over  to  the  Board  of  Town 
Trustees,  composed  of  Dwight  Deming,  Almond  Bugbee,  and  Charles 
A.  Evans. 

After  this  date  the  name  seminary  was  not  used  but  instead 
the  name  High  School  took  its  place. 

1870  the  school  had  increased  in  numbers  to  such  an  extent  that 
it  was  necessary  to  begin  planning  for  a  larger  building. 

In  1872  the  old  seminary  was  torn  down,  and  a  new  school 
built,  which  was  finished  in  1873. 

Soon  the  need  for  a  building  to  house  the  grammar  grades  was 
felt  and  a  large  brick  building  was  constructed  on  Colfax  Avenue. 
This  was  used  by  the  High  School  until  1913,  when  the  present 
High  School  building  was  completed. 

This  High  School  building  is  very  modern,  having  gymnasiums, 
swimming  pools,  auditoriums,  laboratories,  domestic  science  rooms, 
music  rooms  and  a  "Little  Theatre." 


THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND  69 

The  building  vacated  by  the  High  School  is  now  occupied  by 
the  Junior  High  School. 

The  old  building  on  Washington  Street  has  been  torn  down,  and 
the  grounds  beautified. 

In  1831,  the  first  Grade  School  in  town  was  built  on  the  site 
of  the  present  School  Administration  Building.  Mr.  Henry  Stull 
donated  the  poplar  trees  from  his  farm  south  of  town. 

The  building  was  constructed  of  the  round  logs  and  was  20x30 
feet  in  dimension.  There  was  a  huge  fire-place,  and  two  windows, 
but  no  door  was  placed  in  the  doorway  the  first  season. 

They  held  a  summer  session  in  those  days.  There  were  not 
enough  children  in  town  to  fill  the  room,  so  they  went  out  along 
all  the  roads  for  two  miles  and  urged  the  children  to  come  to  school. 
There  were  no  free  public  schools  in  those  days.  Each  child  paid 
a  certain  amount  for  the  privilege  of  attending  school. 

The  children  sat  on  benches  with  no  backs  on  them  and  there 
were  no  desks.  There  were  shelves  along  the  side  of  the  room  for 
writing. 

Elisha  Egbert  was  the  first  teacher;  from  whom  do  you  sup- 
pose he  received  his  pay? 

At  this  first  school,  there  were  children  from  the  families  of 
Navarre,  Comparet,  Coquillard,  Johnson,  Stanfield,  Stull,  Rohrer, 
Dayton  and  many  others.  These  families  have  done  a  great  deal  for 
the  prosperity  and  growth  of  South  Bend. 


1920 

Today  we  have  eighteen  large  grade  buildings, — the  newer  ones 
containing  up-to-date  equipment,  such  as  gymnasiums,  auditoriums, 
shower  baths,  domestic  science  and  manual  training  rooms,  print- 
ing shops  and  fresh  air  rooms. 

Plans  are  being  made  for  several  large  buildings  to  be  built  in 
the  districts  where  the  schools  are  over-crowded. 

The  Vocational  Department  of  the  city  schools  is  very  complete. 
Printing,  machine,  forge,  lathe  and  automobile  repair  shops  are  con- 
ducted on  a  large  scale.  These  classes  are  attended  not  only  by 
the  High  School  boys,  but  boys  from  the  factories  come  into  the 
classes  and  do  part-time  work. 

Men  and  women  from  the  factories,  offices  and  homes  attend 
the  night  classes.  There  is  no  charge  for  instruction  in  any  of 
these  Vocational  Courses. 


70 THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 

NOTRE  DAME  UNIVERSITY 

In  1829  Father  Stephen  Badin  came  to  this  vicinity,  built  a  log 
chapel,  and  dedicated  it  to  the  interest  of  education.  This  was  the 
beginning  of  Notre  Dame  University.  Father  Badin  was  the  first 
priest  ordained  in  the  United  States. 

In  1842,  Father  Sorin,  then  a  young  man  twenty-eight  years 
old,  left  his  country  of  France  and  came  to  America.  From  the 
moment  Father  Sorin  landed  on  our  shores,  he  ceased  to  be  a  for- 
eigner. At  once  he  was  an  American,  heart  and  soul. 

Soon  after  his  arrival  in  this  community,  he  began  his  religious 
as  well  as  educational  duties.  He  was  not  only  local  superior  for 
the  community,  but  president  of  the  University,  which  office  he 
held  until  1865. 

He  fully  believed  that  he  could  convert  all  the  surrounding 
people,  and  worked  zealously  at  all  times  toward  that  great  end. 

In  1849,  Notre  Dame  graduated  her  first  student,  Neal  H.  Gilles- 
pie,  afterwards  Father  Gillespie  (a  cousin  of  James  Gillespie  Blaine). 

The  first  students  came  up  the  river  from  Lake  Michigan  or 
by  stage  and  wagon  road.  After  the  coming  of  the  railroad  in  1851, 
the  enrollment  increased  steadily. 

Schuyler  Colfax  was  a  great  friend  of  Father  Sorin.  He  often 
made  speeches  to  the  students,  always  leaving  impressions  for  good, 
and  inspiring  them  to  great  deeds. 

Notre  Dame  has  continued  to  prosper — new  buildings  have 
taken  the  place  of  the  early  crude  log  buildings  and  more  land  has 
been  purchased  and  improved.  Notre  Dame  stands  first  among  the 
great  Catholic  Universities  of  the  United  States. 

The  university,  as  it  stands  today,  is  a  lasting  tribute  to  the 
memory  of  Father  Sorin. 

Father  Serin's  death  occurred  in  October,  1893. 


ST.  MARY'S  ACADEMY 
1855 

In  1844,  the  Sisters  of  the  Holy  Cross  established  their  first  mis- 
sion in  the  United  States.  This  was  located  at  Bertrand,  Michigan. 

From  this  mission  the  sisters  were  sent  out  to  spread  educa- 
tional ideas  and  the  Christian  religion  among  the  Indians  and  white 
pioneers. 

The  Bishop  of  Detroit  was  not  in  full  sympathy  with  the  work, 
so  they  sought  a  location  near  South  Bend. 


THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 71 

Here,  in  1855,  under  the  personal  supervision  of  Father  Sorin, 
St.  Mary's  was  established.  Their  first  home  was  a  crude  frame 
house,  only  one  room  of  which  was  plastered. 

St.  Mary's  is  located  on  a  beautiful  bluff,  overlooking  the  St. 
Joseph  river. 

During  the  Civil  and  Spanish  Wars  and  also  during  the  late 
World  War,  the  good  sisters  gave  their  untiring  services  whenever 
needed. 

From  its  humble  beginning,  St.  Mary's  Academy  has  grown  and 
prospered  until  today  it  has  no  superior  among  Catholic  educational 
institutions  for  women  and  girls. 

The  aims  of  the  institution  have  always  been  most  modern  and 
progressive.  Without  doubt,  the  St.  Mary's  of  the  future  will  keep 
pace  with  the  requirements  of  the  times. 


"The  Public  Library  is  an  integral  part  of  public  education." 


SOUTH  BEND  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

Public  libraries  are  today  a  necessity  to  an  enlightened  com- 
munity. 

In  1872,  some  of  our  public-spirited  men  realized  the  need  for 
a  public  library.  Books  and  money  were  contributed  and  the 
first  library  established  in  the  back  room  of  a  store  on  Michigan 
Street. 

They  soon  outgrew  these  quarters  and  moved  over  on  Wash- 
ington Street,  in  the  third  story  of  a  building.  Soon  after  a  fire 
destroyed  all  the  books  and  the  library  practically  went  out  of 
existence. 

In  1880,  South  Bend  and  a  number  of  other  cities  sent  in  a 
petition  to  the  legislature,  requesting  authority  to  establish  a  free 
public  library,  to  be  maintained  by  taxes.  This  law  was  passed  in 
1883. 

In  1888  the  library  was  established,  though  they  had  neither 
room,  books  nor  money.  You  see  the  money  could  not  be  had  until 
the  next  year. 

Mr.  James  Oliver  came  to  the  rescue  and  fitted  up  a  room  on 
the  fourth  floor  of  the  Oliver  Opera  House  building  and  loaned  the 
necessary  money.  The  Singer  Manufacturing  Company  furnished 
the  chairs.  Other  equipment  was  supplied  and  the  library  was 
opened  to  the  public. 

In  1895,  there  was  great  need  for  larger  rooms,  so  ground  was 


72 THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 

purchased  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Wayne  Streets,  and  the  present 
library  was  built. 

This  library  maintains  the  Washington  Branch  library  on  West 
Sample  Street,  and  the  River  Park  Branch  on  Mishawaka  Avenue. 
There  are  also  deposit  stations  in  three  factories,  and  school-room 
libraries  are  in  nine  of  the  out-lying  districts. 

There  is  a  children's  library  and  reading  room  on  the  second 
floor  of  the  building.  The  main  floor  contains  the  circulating 
library  and  a  reading  room  where  all  the  best  magazines  and  current 
newspapers  are  placed  for  the  use  of  the  public. 

The  Public  Library  is  the  one  municipal  institution  supported 
solely  by  the  people.  It  is  the  continuation  school  of  the  people. 


CHAPTER  XV 


CITY  PARKS 

Many  tracts  of  land  have  been  given  to  the  city  by  our  public 
spirited  citizens. 

These  parks  are  taken  care  of  by  a  Board  of  Park  Commis- 
sioners. 

Drives,  walks,  playgrounds,  benches  and  drinking  fountains 
have  been  placed  in  the  parks  for  the  benefit  and  pleasure  of  our 
people. 

Band  concerts  are  given  in  a  number  of  the  parks  during  the 
warm  season. 

Skilled  landscape  gardeners  have  made  the  grounds  attractive 
with  trees,  shrubs,  and  flowers. 


HOWARD  PARK 

Not  until  1878  was  any  thought  given  to  the  need  of  public 
parks. 

The  first  land  considered  was  a  city  dumping  ground  on  the 
east  side  of  the  river  near  the  Jefferson  Street  Bridge. 

In  1889  Alexis  Coquillard,  a  nephew  of  the  pioneer  trader, 
donated  four  lots  on  the  east  bank.  Other  land  was  donated  or 
bought  for  a  small  consideration.  This  land  has  been  improved 
and  beautified  with  trees,  walks  and  drives;  tennis  courts  have  been 
added  for  recreation. 

In  1894,  the  name  Howard  Park  was  officially  given  to  this 
ground,  in  honor  of  Judge  Timothy  Howard,  who  had  been  instru- 
mental in  saving  it  for  park  purposes. 

In  1906  Mr.  J.  M.  Studebaker  presented  the  park  with  a  beautiful 
electric  fountain  and  Calvert  H.  Defrees  gave  a  bronze  drinking 
fountain. 


LEEPEH  PARK 
In  1895,  the  city  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land  for  the  use  of 


74 THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 

the  waterworks  department.  The  pumping  station  was  built  and 
the  artesian  wells  sunk  and  capped  over.  This  left  the  greater 
part  of  the  tract  available  for  park  purposes. 

The  park  was  named  in  honor  of  David  R.  Leeper,  a  life-long 
resident  and  honored  citizen. 

In  1904  land  from  Michigan  Street  to  Lafayette  Boulevard  was 
added  to  the  park. 

Playgrounds  and  tennis  courts  for  the  boys  and  girls  of  our 
city  have  been  constructed. 

A  beautiful  drinking  fountain  has  been  placed  in  the  park  in 
memory  of  one  of  our  worthy  citizens,  Mr.  Almond  Bugbee. 


LASALLE  PARK 

LaSalle  Park  on  the  east  side  of  the  river  near  the  Sample 
Street  bridge  when  filled  in  and  improved  will  be  one  of  our  beauty 
spots  along  the  river. 


STUDEBAKER  PARK 

Studebaker  Park  in  the  south-east  part  of  the  city  was  named 
for  Henry  Studebaker,  one  of  the  five  brothers  who  came  here  at 
an  early  day. 


KALEY  PARK 

Kaley  Park  is  in  the  south-western  part  of  our  city.  A  wading 
pool  has  been  installed  for  the  pleasure  of  the  little  folks.  Benches, 
shrubs,  and  flowers  make  it  a  delightful  place  for  the  residents  of 
our  crowded  districts. 


POTTAWATTOMIE    PARK 

Pottawattomie  Park  is  the  largest  pleasure  ground  in  the  city. 
There  are  sixty  acres,  forty  acres  of  which  used  to  be  the  old 
County  Fair  grounds.  The  name  was  given  it  in  memory  of  the 
old  tribe  of  red  men  who  occupied  this  territory  many,  many  moons 
ago. 

Pottawattomie  Park  is  a  favorite  picnic  ground  for  old  and 
young.  It  is  located  on  Mishawaka  Avenue  mid-way  between  Mish- 
awaka  and  South  Bend. 


RUM  VILLAGE  PARK 
(See  story  of  "O  Sah  la  mo  nee") 


THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND        75 


COQUILLARD   PARK 

Coquillard  Park  is  a  large  tract  of  land  in  the  north  eastern 
park  of  the  city,  near  the  Perley  School.  It  was  given  to  the  city 
by  the  Coquillard  heirs.  It  contains  about  ten  acres  and  is  a  very 
beautiful  site  for  a  public  park. 

Other  small  parks  under  the  supervision  of  the  Park  Board  are 
Shetterly  Park  on  Riverside  Drive,  near  Leland  Avenue;  Riverside 
Park,  farther  down  the  river,  near  Hudson;  Ravina  and  Krighbaum, 
in  the  southeast  part  of  the  city;  the  last  three  are  still  in  the  course 
of  construction. 


SPRINGBROOK  PARK 

Springbrook  Park  is  an  amusement  park  located  on  the  south 
side  of  the  river  between  Mishawaka  and  South  Bend.  It  is  owned 
and  managed  by  the  Chicago,  South  Bend  and  Northern  Indiana 
Railway  Company.  There  are  many  attractions  and  amusements 
to  interest  the  throngs  of  visitors  each  summer  season. 


CLIMAX 
1920 

What  a  change!  Where  log  cabins  and  wigwams  once  stood, 
now  stand  churches,  homes  and  factories;  where  they  walked  or 
rode  in  single  file,  now  locomotives  scream  like  beasts  of  prey, 
and  rush  along  their  iron  tracks;  wide  paved  roadways  extend  in 
all  directions  through  the  city  and  connect  us  with  other  cities. 
Automobiles  and  aeroplanes  carry  our  people  to  all  parts  of  the 
country. 


76 THE   STORY   OF   SOUTH   BEND 

ACCURATE  FIGURES  ABOUT  SOUTH  BEND 

Corrected  as  far  as  possible  to  November  15,  1920. 

The  Editor  should  be  notified  of  any  error  or  of  later  statistics. 

South  Bend  is  located  eighty-six  miles  east  of  Chicago  at  a  point 
where  the  St.  Joseph  River,  one  of  the  most  picturesque  streams  in 
America,  flowing  down  from  Michigan,  makes  its  "south  bend"  and 
turns  northward  to  the  great  lakes.  It  is  the  County  seat  of  St. 
Joseph  County  as  well  as  its  largest  city. 

Altitude:  722  feet. 

Area:  (City  proper)  15.74  square  miles. 

Birth  Rate:  18.64  per  1,000. 

Building  Operations:  More  than  600  houses  erected  during  sum- 
mer of  1919.  Oliver  Chilled  Plow  Works  to  build  1,000;  Studebaker 
Corporation,  1,500  in  immediate  future. 

Churches:  63,  several  missions,  all  leading  denominations. 

City  Library:  Nearly  52,000  accessioned  volumes,  with  a  circu- 
lation of  232,689  during  the  last  year. 

Clubs:  Country  Club  with  buildings  and  golf  course,  Indiana 
Club,  Knife  and  Fork  Club,  Rotary  Club,  University  Club,  Federated 
Women's  Clubs  and  Fraternal  Organizations,  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Y.  W.  C. 
A.,  Kiwanis  Club,  Commercial  Athletic  Club,  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
Advertising  Club,  Press  Club,  and  Engineers'  Club. 

Death  Rate:  9:89  per  1,000. 

Education:  18  grade  public  schools,  $450,000  High  School, 
vocational  school,  12  parochial  schools,  3  business  colleges,  free 
night  schools,  with  Notre  Dame  University  and  St.  Mary's  Academy 
two  miles  north  of  the  city. 

Financial  Institutions:  10  banks  and  trust  companies,  with  total 
deposits  of  $21,667,155.34,  total  capital  stock,  $1,661,700;  total  sur- 
plus and  undivided  profits,  $1,575,317.07,  and  total  clearings  for 
1919,  $81,770,275.00. 

Hospitals:  2  hospitals,  County  Infirmary,  Orphans'  Home. 

Hotels:  Oliver — 245  rooms;  Jefferson — 120  rooms;  nine  smaller 
hotels. 

Industries:  Over  200  distinct  products  are  turned  out  by  250 
establishments,  involving  $70,180,000  invested  capital,  with  annual 
wages  of  $31,072,000,  and  producing  annually  $75,180,000  in  manu- 
factured goods. 


THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 77 

Newspapers:  News-Times — morning,  evening  and  Sunday;  cir- 
culation, daily,  17,000;  Tribune — evening,  circulation  17,500. 

Population:  70,983   (1920  Census). 

Power,  Light  and  Gas:  St.  Joseph  River  developing  25,000 
hydro-electric  horse-power  from  four  dams  in  this  vicinity,  most 
of  this  power  available  for  South  Bend.  Power  rate  $1.00  per 
month  per  horse-power  attached,  and  l.lc  to  6c  per  kwh.  Rate  for 
commercial  lighti-ng  3M>c  to  8M>c  per  kwh.  Rate  for  residence 
lighting,  4c  to  8%c  per  kwh.  Gas  rates  range  from  83c  to  $1.08 
per  1,000  cu.  ft.  according  to  the  amount  consumed. 

Parks  and  Playgrounds:  Ten  parks  with  an  acreage  of  366.  Ten 
playgrounds  under  direction  of  Municipal  Recreation  Committee 
with  19  instructors  and  directors. 

Public  Safety:  Fire  Department,  9  stations,  67  men,  auto  and 
horse  equipment.  Police  department,  65  men  and  one  police- 
woman, two  men  in  Health  Department,  Superintendent  of  police 
and  fire  alarms,  humane  officer,  police  ambulance,  auto  patrols  and 
motorcycle  squad. 

Streets:  Total    length    of   streets,  alleys   and    avenues    in,    city 

limits,   219.38   miles;    total   length   of  street   pavement,   86.3    miles; 

lighted  by   1501    public   lights;   main  streets  illuminated  by  boule- 
vard cluster  lights. 

Tax  rate:  $1.50  per  hundred,  covers  city,  county,  school  and 
state.  Assessment  basis,  100%. 

Telephone:  Indiana  Bell  manual  exchange;  6,800  stations; 
average  calls  per  day,  44,000;  long  distance  calls  per  day,  1,000. 
Direct  connection  with  New  York,  Chicago,  San  Francisco  and  inter- 
mediate points.  Automatic  exchange,  4,200  stations  connected  with 
6  exchanges,  total  average  calls  per  day,  40,000. 

Theaters:  Oliver  Opera  House,  plays  best  road  companies  and 
occasional  high  class  movies;  Orpheum,  Keith  Circuit  vaudeville; 
several  motion  picture  houses. 

Transportation:  7  steam  roads;  Lake  Shore  and  Michigan 
Southern;  Grand  Trunk;  Michigan  Central;  Pennsylvania  (Van- 
dalia);  Chicago,  Indiana  and  Southern;  New  Jersey,  Indiana  and 
Illinois;  Lake  Erie  and  Western,  entering  the  city  from  Indianapolis 
over  the  tracks  of  the  C.  I.  &  S.  Electric  lines;  Chicago,  South  Bend 
and  Northern  Indiana;  Chicago,  Lake  Shore  and  South  Bend; 
Southern  Michigan.  These  lines  provide  service  between  this  city, 
Chicago,  and  Indianapolis,  and  important  points  on  the  shore  of 
Lake  Michigan.  Steam  and  electric  roads  provide  180  trains  daily, 


78        THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  BEND 


90  in  and  90  out.  Exceptional  freight  facilities  over  main  trunk 
and  division  lines  connecting  with  practically  every  road  centering 
in  the  Chicago  district. 

FllKHJHT    IiATKS 


New  York 

St.  Paul 

Missouri    River 

Texas 

Common   Points         3.02  2.56%         2.09%  1.88%          1.44 

Pacific  Coast 

Terminals  5.83  5.05%         4.20  1.97% 

Water  Supply:  The  city's  water  supply  is  drawn  from  about  100 
artesian  wells;  plant  valuation  $1,800,000.  Normal  pumping  capacity 
for  24  hours,  24,000,000  gallons.  South  Bend  drinks  and  puts  out 
fires  with  pure,  cold,  sparkling  water  that  is  the  envy  of  less  for- 
tunate cities. 


1 

2 

3 

•1 

1.51 

1.33 

1.01 

70.5 

1.56 

1.31 

1.02 

GO. 

1  .82 

1.45% 

1.13% 

85.5 

Teacher's  Notes 


Teacher's  Notes 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
is  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


.       N 

AUG  1  3  1956 

9 


Form  L9-50m-7,'54  (5990) 444 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


AA      000018968    8 


55738     The  story  of 
southjbend- 


P53U 
57B8 


